


Velvet Scarlatina: Snapshot

by Zeroan



Series: RWBY Superhero Universe [8]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Bullying, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-06-25 09:50:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 50,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19743229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeroan/pseuds/Zeroan
Summary: Velvet was good with a camera. She was bad at everything else. Until she wasn't.





	1. Click

The wind came from the east, causing the trees to gently sway. The moving leaves composed a quiet little song – an emotion that couldn't be captured in words, let alone a picture.

The waves crashed on the beach. Soon the tide would settle for the day, and the ocean would be a motionless stretch of blue until morning came again. A pity. Not that it wasn't pretty either way, but there was nothing quite as mesmerizing as the comings and goings of the ocean.

The flock would be making its appearance any time now. A dozen birds, or more, if she was lucky. As usual, they wouldn't stay for long. The twilight always brought them to this part of the beach, but by the time the moon was clear in the sky, they would be long gone.

It was a tight window. The sun was going down, the ocean was settling, and the birds were just flying down from the sky.

They made their landings on the sand, some skirting the receding waters. A select few chose the trees as their perch. One of them, a vivid red dove with brown wings, landed on an oaken branch. It skipped down the branch, pecking the wood restlessly, until its beak closed around the stalk of a flower – a blooming lily. It started to pull, and the sun reflected on its crimson feathers…

_Click_. _Click_. _Click_.

The bird flew away, accompanied by the rest of its flock.

Velvet lowered her camera and took a step back, biting her lip nervously. She would have rejoiced, if she didn't know how easy it was to butcher a picture. Any photographer worth her salt knew to first take a moment to pull the mind back from that state of deep focus. Only after that was done could you reliably judge your own work.

The quality of the photos varied, as was expected. A couple of them were a little on the blurry side, and in another, a bad angle had failed to capture the bird's movement as she had intended. But overall…

Overall, she'd accomplished what she'd set out to do. Days of meticulous planning and preparation, and in the moment of truth, everything had worked out. _She_ had made everything work out.

Velvet smiled.

This is what she had been born to do.

* * *

**VELVET SCARLATINA**

**SNAPSHOT**

* * *

"These are beautiful, Velvet." Mister Oobleck pushed his glasses up as he examined the photos. "Breathtaking, truly breathtaking. And you said this was one afternoon's work?"

"Yes. Well, no. Not technically, sir," Velvet said, rubbing her arms anxiously. "I did a lot of research, and took some trial photos before the birds flew in, to test the light and… and stuff. I didn't want to mess everything up." She tilted her head a little, her ears folding atop her hair. "I-I suppose it wouldn't have been that big of a problem, I could just come again tomorrow for another try, and the next day if I still didn't get it right. But…"

"But you wanted it to be perfect on the first go," Oobleck said, smiling knowingly at her. "Many artists are like that. Some I've met won't settle for anything less than perfection, and they'll drive themselves to the brink in pursuit of it. That isn't a problem with you, of course. You seem to have knack of getting things right the first time."

"That's because I haven't showed you any of the photos I've messed up, sir," Velvet said.

"I have a feeling there haven't been many of those."

Velvet forced herself to stop fidgeting and smiled at him. She could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't just humoring her. He was honestly impressed by what she'd shown him, and that meant a lot to her.

Bartholomew Oobleck had been a tremendous journalist and photographer before he'd settled down in Emerald Hills and become the editor of the _Forest Ink_. His earlier work had been one of Velvet's greatest inspirations, and when she'd gotten the opportunity to work under him, she'd been ecstatic.

"Tell me, Velvet, what's the meaning behind all these photos you've been taking lately? I've been happy to offer you my critique, but now I realize I've never asked what your end goal is," Oobleck said, folding his hands on his desk. "If you intend to publish them, I would be more than happy to assist you with that."

"Oh, I don't know, sir. I just like taking pictures, I guess. And these projects help me hone my skill with the camera," Velvet said. "Although… N-nevermind."

Oobleck raised his eyebrows at her. "Do go on."

"I _was_ thinking that I could maybe gather all of them in a collection. Like… like an album of sorts? I-I don't know if I'd _publish_ it, sir, but…" Velvet shook her head. "It's silly, really. I don't think anyone would be interested in my… hobby."

Oobleck dragged his chair back and stood up. He walked around his desk to stand beside her, and Velvet lowered her head a bit, only to glance at him nervously as he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You give yourself too little credit, Miss Velvet Scarlatina," he said. "I believe one day, you will set the world on fire with your art. But you will never get to that point if you don't put yourself before the world. You cannot hide in your own shadow forever."

Velvet swallowed dry. Her shadow wasn't even big enough for her to hide in it, she thought.

"I won't allow you to waste your potential. I simply will not!" Oobleck said. "Continue taking these photos. Finish your album, and make it perfect. I will finance its publication." He linked his hands behind his back and raised his head, looking at her over the tip of his nose. "Do that, or I'll fire you."

Velvet gasped. "S-sir?"

"I'm perfectly serious," Oobleck said. "You are an excellent photographer, truly one of the paper's best assets, but I won't have a defeatist working under me in any capacity."

Velvet grabbed her camera hanging from her neck and pressed it to her chest for comfort. She couldn't afford to lose this job. She needed the money, and the experience, and… Would Mister Oobleck really fire her over this?

She frowned. Why was she freaking out about the job, of all things? That wasn't what really mattered. Oobleck was right. She was an excellent photographer, and she was just getting started. If she refused to embrace the path laid out before her, then she might as well throw her camera in the trash and forget about photography altogether.

"O-okay," she said, nodding firmly. "I'll finish my album, sir. Thank you for your support. A-and you don't need to finance anything, sir, I can-"

"I insist," Oobleck cut her short. "You'll pay me back by following your dreams." A moment passed, and he gestured towards the door. "And by doing your _actual_ job, of course."

"Right!" Velvet exclaimed. "I've already got my schedule for the week, sir. The museum opening, the rally downtown… I'll have it all covered, sir, I promise!"

"Outstanding." Oobleck smiled. "Don't let me keep you. Go shine bright, my girl."

* * *

By the time Velvet arrived home, the confidence Mister Oobleck had sparked within her had fizzled out completely and left her a nervous wreck. The guards gave her a cursory glance as she entered the lobby, the only acknowledgement she ever received from them. She looked up just in time to see the elevator starting to close and put a spring on her steps, making it inside by the skin of her teeth.

She pressed the button for the seventh floor and started to retreat into a corner, only to notice that there were other people occupying that space already, an old married couple she recognized but whom she had never talked to. Velvet mumbled an apology, and the old woman gave her an empty smile, while her husband threw her a much dirtier look. She pressed herself against a wall and counted the seconds until her stop.

The doors opened, and she almost tripped over her own feet in her haste to exit the elevator. She didn't need to look back at her neighbors to know their reaction - she could practically feel their eyes drilling holes into the back of her neck. Flustered, Velvet all but ran to her apartment door and fumbled with her keys until she found the right one.

Finally entering the apartment was like taking a breath of fresh air. The lights were already on, but Velvet barely registered that as she left her backpack and camera at a table and promptly fell on the sofa in the living room. Clutching her chest, she turned to face the ceiling and closed her eyes, the silence soothing her speeding heart…

"Well, look who's home."

Velvet held back a groan. Hearing her roommate's voice after a long day of work was always a blessing and a curse. Talking to people was difficult, especially when she was tired. But Coco was different. Having known each other for years and becoming close friends in high school, they'd gotten very comfortable with how to communicate with each other – Coco with her dry, no-nonsense attitude, and Velvet with her… not talking very much at all.

"Hey, Coco," Velvet said. "Sorry I'm late. I would have called, but I…"

"Forgot," Coco completed the phrase for her. Having come from the kitchen, she walked around the corner and cast a reproachful look at Velvet, before turning her eyes to her own nails and dropping unceremoniously on the sofa beside her.

"Yeah." Velvet sighed. "Sorry."

"No need. I figure you had a good reason for running late," Coco said. "You catch your birdies, then?"

Velvet nodded faintly. "Yeah. Oh, and I made a stop at the paper to talk to Mister Oobleck. That's also why I'm late."

"Hmm." Coco looked up from her nails. "Can I take a look at your pics? I know I'm not a world-renowned photographer, but these eyes know true art when they see it." She leaned back, tapping the side of her skull. "Hence my room's many mirrors."

If it were anyone else asking to see her photos, Velvet would have made up some excuse and scurried away at the first opportunity. Not because she was afraid of people criticizing her work, but because she just didn't trust most people to give an honest opinion. Luckily, Coco was always truthful with her, sometimes brutally so.

Not that anyone else had ever been interested…

"They're in my backpack. I left it on the table," Velvet said.

Coco groaned silently and got up to retrieve the backpack. While she walked away, Velvet fiddled with her fingers, anxious at the silence. She should probably be saying something. Anything!

"Uhm, h-how was your day?"

"Same old, same old. Classes were kinda boring," Coco said, far away. "Although, we're getting into actually designing products now, as part of the final project, and one of my classmates thought that yellow, green and magenta was a good color combination for a clothing line. I don't know what classes _she's_ been taking for the last four years, but it made for a good laugh."

Velvet gave a little laugh. Was that supposed to be bad? It _sounded_ bad, but she never had any idea what Coco was talking about when it came to her studies. Velvet and fashion went along about as well as… Velvet and anything that wasn't crippling anxiety, really.

"Found 'em."

Coco came back to the living room with the photos in hand. She shuffled through them, appraising them silently, and Velvet became short of breath as she waited for whatever judgement Coco laid upon her.

"These are good," Coco said finally, returning to the first photo. "Very good. You really have an eye for these things, don't you, Velv?"

"You think so?" Velvet sat up, rubbing her hands restlessly, before she realized how awkward that must look and rested them on her thighs. "T-these aren't all that much, y-you know. Just, uh…"

"Just awesome? Or, just works of art?" Coco looked at her pointedly. "Or, just - I can go on and on all day. Just take the compliment, Velvet."

Velvet sighed. "Thank you."

Satisfied with herself, Coco handed over the photos. Velvet looked over them thoughtfully. They _were_ good. Excellent, even, she supposed. Mister Oobleck had said so, and Coco now too, so what reason did she have to think the contrary?

"Did your man-crush like them?" Coco asked casually.

"He's not my _man-crush_ , Coco, he's my boss! That's just gross," Velvet complained. "A-and I don't know why you always have to specify the _man_ part…"

Coco grinned. "Because I like to watch you squirm, honeybuns. Why do _you_ have to make it weird?"

"You're the one who – oh, whatever," Velvet grumbled. Coco was the only person who could get her flustered like this – and not in the usual, Velvet way, but the _I-can't-believe-we're-friends_ way. "He did like them. He even offered to finance my a-album thing."

"Your album thing?" Coco repeated in wonder. "So you're _actually_ gonna go through with that? For real, this time?"

"Yes…" Velvet said, and frowned at the obvious doubt in her own voice. She sat up straighter, then spoke again, much more firmly. "Yes, I will. I'm going to finish my album, and I'm going to publish it." She paused. "And people will love it."

"Wow. Look at you, Miss Powerful Woman," Coco said, nodding her head approvingly. "It's about time. I always told you, Velvet, that working in that dingy little newspaper is not the life for you. You are meant for much, much more! I wouldn't be your friend otherwise, now would I?"

"Thanks?" Velvet said unsurely. "And the _Ink_ isn't a dingy little… whatever. I-I'm proud of my job there."

"I know, I know." Coco patted her shoulder. "But still, my point stands. So, where do you go from here? You gonna find more birds to _click-click_ , or what?"

"No, I already did that. Now, I need to diversify. Emerald Hills has a lot of great places to shoot at, but I think I've exhausted pretty much all of them," Velvet said, getting excited despite herself. "Remember that trip I told you about?"

"That Emerald Forest hike thing?" Coco looked at her sternly. "The one I had to convince you to take?"

"Yeah, that one…" Velvet said shamefully. "It's next weekend, and I think I'll have plenty of opportunities to build my album there. They say that about fifty or sixty percent of the forest is still undocumented, so…"

"That's great," Coco said. "Not the forest, of course. You couldn't pay me a billion Lien to set a foot in that place. Yuck. But you do what you gotta do. And if you need anything, you know you can ask."

Velvet nodded. She appreciated Coco's support, but she didn't think she would be asking anything of her if she could help it. She already felt bad about paying only a third of the rent, and Coco always paying for the groceries, and any apartment repairs, and…

Best not to keep thinking about all the ways she depended on Coco.

"Meanwhile," Coco said, standing up. "I have a lil' birthday bash to go to. You wanna come along?"

"A birthday party?" Velvet bit her lip. "Uhm…"

"There will be booze. And dancing. And lots of people. Basically, everything you hate," Coco said.

"Why are you asking me, then?" Velvet asked. Sometimes it really seemed that Coco liked to watch her suffer.

"Because, if I don't invite you, you're gonna spend the rest of the night cooped up in your room, like you do every night," Coco said. "Now if you still do that, it'll be your choice, and I won't have to feel guilty about it."

"Oh. That makes sense, I guess," Velvet said. "Uhm, whose birthday is it?"

"Dew's. The blonde from my class, with the dainty princess look. You've met her," Coco said. "She's lovely, really, except for the fact that she's a vile bitch."

Velvet frowned. She definitely remembered Dew. Her, and all her friends. "I don't know, Coco. We don't really know each other… I'm not sure Dew would like me being there."

"Oh, please, she'd love it if you came. Dew loves _everyone_. It's her defining character flaw," Coco said. "You'll have a great time. And if you don't, you can always skedaddle back home. If anyone says anything, I'll clock them on the nose."

Velvet fidgeted on the couch. Parties of any kind were not her forte, but with her plans to advance her career, she was discovering a new well of confidence inside her. And she couldn't deny that Coco had a point. Spending all her time either cooped up at home or wandering around taking photos wasn't healthy for her. She had to get out sometimes.

Besides, how bad could a little birthday party be?

* * *

Worse than anything she could have imagined, as it turned out.

Velvet didn't know why she had to be taught this lesson every time. She just hated birthdays parties. Any gathering of more than six people was a stretch of her comfort zone. Meanwhile, Coco's comfort zone seemed to encompass the whole city of Emerald Hills. Probably the whole of Vale, actually.

Just… _God_. The flashing lights. The sweaty bodies and their terrible, sweaty odors. The music! Her ears, all four of them, could barely handle it. She was pretty sure another hour of this would make her impair her hearing for life.

Sitting on the first empty chair she'd found in a corner of the nightclub, Velvet took her cup of soda and guzzled down half of it in one go. This was one of those times she wished she drank alcohol. Perhaps then she could draw _some_ enjoyment from this hell. But then she remembered the social disaster that she already was when sober, then imagined herself under the effects of alcohol, and she was very glad she stuck to soda.

_Soda_. God, what was she, a child? No wonder no one was even vaguely interested in her! Everyone else had no problem letting go a little, and here she was sitting by herself like some sort of-

"Velvet, you're imploding," Coco said, appearing before her all of a sudden. "You have imploding-face. Get ahold of yourself."

Velvet lowered her cup to her lap and shook her head fervently. "I-I'm not imploding. I'm just fine, p-promise!"

"Yes, of course, I am thoroughly convinced," Coco said dryly. "You sure I can't get you anything, like maybe a clean path to the nearest exit?"

"N-no! I told you I'm fine, Coco!" Velvet replied, raising her voice so Coco could hear her over the music. Though maybe she raised a little _too_ much, judging by the looks the people around them threw her. "I'm having fun…"

Coco looked at her pitifully, as if she just didn't know what to do with her. Entirely out of her control, Velvet found herself fiddling with the strap of her camera around her neck.

And there it was, another reason why people avoided her! She was the weird girl who brought her camera everywhere, even to a party, like a baby with a security blanket. She might as well buy herself a baby bottle so she could drink her stupid _soda_ from it without risking spilling it all over-

"Alright, you're having a major crisis. I think I'll just leave you to it for now," Coco said. "I'll be back in half an hour. Text me before if you decide to leave."

Coco started to turn, but the sudden appearance of a tall blonde stopped her from leaving. Velvet felt her stomach make a trip to the other side of the planet as she recognized Dew Gayl, the birthday girl, and her troop of similarly top-model-looking friends behind her.

"Hey, Velvet! Coco told me you were here!" Dew squealed, taking Velvet's hands and holding them, a radiant smile on her lips. "Thank you so much for coming! This day wouldn't be the same without you!"

"O-oh? T-thank you," Velvet said. "I mean, h-happy birthday! You look older – I mean you look _so_ pretty!"

"Thank you! You are so kind!" Dew said. "Hey, me and the girls are going to dance. You wanna come along?"

"N-no, thanks," Velvet said. "I'd love to, but I'm, uh, kinda exhausted. I've had a long day."

Coco raised a disapproving eyebrow at her, and in response, Velvet pretended she didn't exist.

"That's fine, I _totally_ get that," Dew said, and drew a little closer to Velvet. "But you've gotta promise you'll show me your photos later. Coco's told me so much about your art, I'm dying to see it with my own eyes. 'kay?"

Velvet's eyes widened. She looked for Coco, but she'd conveniently vanished.

"Okay…" Velvet said, hoping her voice was drowned out by the music.

"Great!" Dew clapped her hands. "We'll talk later!"

Velvet replied to Dew's smile with one of her own, up until the blond vanished into the crowd. As soon as she did, Velvet jumped from her chair and bolted it out of the club.

* * *

"Stupid! I can't believe I'm such a – arrgh…!"

Velvet was so angry, she could kick a rock. A very large rock. A rock so large no one in their right mind should ever kick it, even if they were as angry as she was currently.

She shouldn't have run. Dew was probably just being kind, showing interest in an acquaintance's work, but Velvet just had to have assumed the worst, as always. It wasn't like Dew was going to laugh in her face, even if she didn't like the pictures. No one was that tactless and cruel.

But if Velvet was wrong, and Dew _did_ laugh in her face…

Only one thing was certain – Velvet's disappearing act had done far more damage to her already terrible reputation than staying put and indulging Dew ever could have. And the cherry on top was she'd probably made Coco look stupid, too.

Sometimes she thought she would be better off just burrowing herself a hole in the earth and hiding in it until she grew old and died. But then again, that might have some slightly racist undertones to it, so perhaps it was best to keep drudging on through life one day at a time…

Taking a deep breath, Velvet made a sharp stop and looked around. She'd been so desperate to get away from the party that she hadn't paid any attention to where she was going after she left the club. She didn't know what direction she'd gone in, only that it definitely wasn't the way back home.

At least she hadn't wandered into any bad parts of town. Just the contrary, the neighborhood she found herself in looked to be fairly prestigious. The smallest house she saw was still easily five times the size of her childhood home.

This was definitely _not_ the kind of place a lone faunus girl should be wandering around in the darkness of night. Nervous, Velvet fished out her phone from her pocket, deciding to call a ride to get herself out of there as soon as possible. She was a little short of cash, but needs must.

But maybe she ought to get clear of the area first, for safety's sake. Velvet put her phone away and turned around, walking back the way she'd come. Once the houses stopped looking so much like royal castles, _then_ she could call her ride.

She was almost clear of the neighborhood when a low whizzing noise caught her attention. Velvet stopped in her tracks, folding her ears slightly, and looked around curiously. Was that a car? But there didn't seem to be any vehicles out at this hour…

She was probably just imagining things. Her nerves always did that to her. Velvet shrugged and started walking again, but not a second later, the noise happened again, and this time she noticed a flash of light accompany it at the corner of her vision.

Just a little further along the street she was on, the road split and descended into an underpass. That was where the light had come from.

Velvet kept on walking – making an executive decision to ignore whatever was going on there – but the underpass was on the way she was going, and she couldn't help but let her eyes stray towards it. Before she knew it, her curiosity had gotten the best of her and she'd crossed the street, and she was now on the upper side of the underpass.

The lights continued to shine from somewhere along the road, reflecting off the walls in mesmerizing fashion. They blinked at irregular intervals, and they were not always the same color, sometimes blue, red, yellow… It was rather breathtaking.

It could make for a good addition to her album.

"You _cannot_ be serious," Velvet whispered to herself. She took a step back, fiddling with the strap of her camera. She could just imagine Mister Oobleck typing out tomorrow's headline. _Young Faunus Girl Dies Of Bad Decision-Making._

Hopefully, she would make the front page.

Biting her lip, Velvet stepped around the corner and followed the road down. She reached the underpass' threshold and continued past, sticking close to the wall – as if that would do her any good. She kept her hands firmly on her camera, prepared to snap her picture at an instant's notice.

The blinking lights stopped before she found their source, leaving her enshrouded in the dimness of the underpass' lighting. Velvet cursed silently, thinking she'd lost her chance, but then a voice reached her.

"And that's just the small stuff, boys. What, you thought I was playing things up? Nah, this is some _serious_ firepower right here. The real deal."

Velvet frowned. Something about that voice was familiar, in a very bad way. A hairs-standing-up-on-the-back-of-her-neck way. That was probably her cue to turn back and pretend she'd never seen nor heard anything.

But her curiosity was stronger than her good sense, so Velvet continued on, step by step, now actually pressing herself to the wall and hunching over to make her profile smaller. She wished she was wearing a hoodie she could try and hide her ears, as they made her silhouette all the more noticeable.

"I'll show you something else," the stranger spoke again. "This one's kinda small, and ugly as all hell, but it can do some damage. Sound familiar, Russel?"

"Haha, very funny," someone mumbled, while two others laughed over him.

Velvet's breath caught in her throat. She knew who was up ahead now, she was sure of it. And she knew she _really_ should have turned back.

A blue glow filled the underpass. Further ahead, a pick-up truck was parked in the middle of the road, and gathered behind it were four boys around Velvet's age. They all wore black and brown leather, and their hairs were done in a slick fashion. It was such a funny contrast, Velvet would have laughed out loud, if she weren't so busy having a panic attack.

Her eyes were fixed on the boy in middle, the apparent leader of the group. He was bigger than the rest in many ways, standing a full head taller and having much broader shoulders. Between his hands he held a sphere-like object, the source of the blue glow. It lit up his face, revealing a smarmy smile.

_Cardin_. Cardin Winchester. Suddenly Velvet was transported years back, to a time where was confined in darkness, and her ears throbbed and burned with agonizing pain, and a sickness in her stomach stole her breath away-

"Well, are you just gonna hold it?" one of the other boys said, the one with the blond hair. Dove Bronzewing. The one who used to hold her arms behind her so she couldn't fight back. "Or are you gonna actually do something with it?"

"I could toss it at you, if you want," Cardin said. He threw the sphere up in the air, and caught it again, sneering as Dove backed away in fright. "It's a grenade, you dumbass. I'd love to show it off, but I don't wanna bring the ceiling down on us, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it's some powerful shit."

"Powerful how? Is it Dust?" the smallest one said. Russell Thrush. He always had the cruelest laugh.

"Well, yeah. But lots of stuff uses Dust nowadays. We're not in the bronze age anymore, boys," Cardin said. He held up the grenade, inspecting it closely. "I think it's some special combination of Gravity and Fire. It doesn't just blow stuff up, it holds stuff together, and then…" He looked at the ceiling, like he was searching for the right word. "…It vaporizes it, or something."

"Nice," the last boy said, nodding appreciatively. Sky Lark. He had never been very original when it came to tormenting her, always following Cardin's lead, but he'd always made it up with his enthusiasm. "What else you got?"

Cardin turned back to the truck and put the grenade back in a black steel case. Velvet frowned, temporarily setting aside those painful memories as she took notice of the volume of boxes on the back of the vehicle. She didn't know what was in them, but if they all carried stuff similar to that grenade…

What in the hell was Cardin Winchester doing with all of this?

"Oh, trust me, I got us a lot of toys to play with. But sorry, boys, we can't play with them here," Cardin said. "I couldn't bring out the big guns tonight. I mean, nobody can really touch me in this town, but it pays to be safe. Wouldn't want the wrong people to see me hauling this stuff around…"

"So what's the point, then?" Russel said, crossing his arms. "You got a big haul of SDC stuff, great, but what are you gonna use it for? Decoration?"

"I always wanted a Dust rifle to hang in my bedroom," Sky mumbled to himself.

"It's not _me_ who's gonna use it. Well, I am, _but_ … You gotta look at the big picture, man," Cardin said. "You know how people are these days, with all those Grimm pricks going around. Everyone's wondering when they're gonna show up all their house to eat their children or something. And they don't wanna depend on those stupid skirts to save them, so…"

"You're gonna sell all of this off," Dove said. "Don't you have enough money already?"

Cardin took one of the cases and slid his hand over it, his face twisting into a scowl. "Not me. It's all my dad's money. I'm gonna build my own empire now, without his help," he said. "We'll see who's gonna be bossing who around, then."

He clapped his hands and spun around to face his lackeys, cracking a smile again.

"But what's an empire worth if you don't have friends to share it with?" he said. "I'm not gonna make you choose now right now, you can have all the time in the world to make the right choice… But I think I already know how you're all gonna answer. So, who's in this with me?"

"You can count on me, brother," Sky said readily. "We're gonna make this town ours."

"Just this town?" Dove shook his head. "Why stop with Emerald Hills? Way I see it, we have the means here to establish ourselves way past that. I'm talking national level here."

"Trust me, I plan on going as far as we can, and more," Cardin said.

"Well I'm in, obviously. Sounds fun," Dove said.

They turned to Russel, who simply shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, what else am I gonna do with my life?" He nodded at the truck. "Now get back to the showing. If we're gonna make a fortune, I at least wanna know what we're gonna be selling. Just for curiosity, you know."

Grinning, Cardin started shuffling through the cases, deciding which one to open next.

Velvet inched back slowly, not believing her own eyes and ears. She knew better than anyone how abhorrent of a person Cardin was, but she'd never imagined that he would fall this low. He'd made high school hell for her, quite literally, but even that paled to what he was planning on doing now.

There was a reason this kind of weaponry wasn't available to the general populace. If everyone had even the most basic of Dust rifles in their homes, then the Grimm wouldn't be the biggest danger to society anymore. People could be hateful, and narrow-minded, and downright stupid. Who was a better example of that than Cardin Winchester himself?

Velvet hated to think what might happen to Emerald Hills if Cardin got what he wanted. But what could she do to stop him? She doubted the police would do anything about it. The Winchester family was quite influential in Emerald Hills. And she, well, she was just… her. Jumping off a tall bridge would do her better than speaking out against the Winchesters.

But maybe… Maybe she could bring this higher than the police? What Cardin was doing here was a very serious crime, the kind Beacon would be very interested in hearing about. And she could enlist Coco's help, too! The Adels weren't nearly as influential as the Winchesters, but they were nothing to be sneezed at either.

Oh, God. She wasn't seriously thinking about doing this, was she? She didn't need to do anything. Someone would do something about Cardin, someone far braver and more capable than her. And what had anyone in this town ever done for her that she should risk her own skin for them?

Velvet pinched her forehead, took a deep breath, and counted to ten. Jumping on the dancefloor didn't seem such a bad idea anymore.

Careful not to make a sound, Velvet grabbed her camera and raised it. With trembling hands, she aimed it at Cardin and his gang. He was showing off a Dust cannon now. One click, and she had her photo.

_Good. Great! Now you can run for the hills!_

But that wasn't enough. Cursing her conscience, Velvet kept observing as Cardin showed off more of his arsenal to Russel, Dove and Sky, fearing every second that one of them would turn and notice her. For every weapon Cardin brought out, she took a photo, and soon she had a dozen of them.

That should be enough, yes? No. If Cardin could somehow claim that wasn't him… It would be preposterous, but he might get away with it nonetheless. She needed something else to tie him to the scene.

The truck! But Dove's leg was in the way of the license plate. _BCN-3842_. She could go back, but then it would be too far away for a clear picture. Slowly, Velvet inched forward, step by step, until she could see the plate. She raised her camera again, and clicked.

A whooshing noise filled her ears, and a green light blinded her momentarily. Surrounded by smoke, Velvet jumped to her feet, coughing as the gas invaded her lungs.

"Shit! That one's unstable!" Cardin yelled, and she heard him drop something on the ground. "Are you guys alright?"

"We're good! Woah, that was scary!" Russel exclaimed. "And _awesome_! Do it again!"

"Shut up, man! We're lucky we're all in one piece!"

"I think you hit a wall," Sky said. "There. Jeez, that's a lot of damage – wait, is there someone-"

Velvet stumbled out of the smoke, and as her vision cleared, she saw the four boys staring right back at her. For a moment, they remained that way, Velvet wheezing with her camera in her hands, while Cardin and his gang looked on, engines spinning inside their heads.

"She saw us," Cardin said. "Get her!"

Velvet turned and run. She heard the stomping of the boys' feet right behind her, more frightening than any noise she'd ever heard before. She saw the end of the underpass, and beyond it the night sky-

Russel came in, kicking the back of her knees and bringing her crashing down to the ground. Instead of bracing her fall with her hands, Velvet turned to the side to protect her camera. Her shoulder hit the asphalt, and her arm erupted with pain.

"She's down!" Russel screamed.

Velvet grabbed her arm, soundless gasps escaping her lips as the pain rocked through her. Someone's legs passed her, and when she looked up, she found Cardin staring down at her furiously.

"You! You just had to go and nose around where you don't belong you, did you? I'm gonna teach you not to-" He paused, his face lighting up with recognition. "Holy shit. I know her." He looked around at his buddies. "You remember her, right?"

Russel and Dove looked lost, but after a second, Sky spoke up hesitantly. "The charity case…?"

"Yeah! Vel, Vel something… Velvet! That's the name!" Cardin smiled. "Hey, Velvet! Long time no see, eh?"

Velvet whimpered, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Oh, I'm sorry about Russel. If I'd known it was you, I would have told him to stop," Cardin said. "Jeez, it's been years. You're so much taller now. I mean, for one thing, your ears aren't half your size anymore!" He laughed warmly. "Wow. We had some fun times together back in school. Although… I guess I wasn't exactly _friendly_ with you back then, huh?"

Velvet bit her lip. "P-please…"

"Hey, don't cry. I'm sorry, alright? I was terrible," Cardin said. "But I'm not that person anymore. I'm all grown up. See?"

He offered a hand. When Velvet didn't take it, he grabbed her wrist himself and sat her up, patting her shoulder gently where it had hit the ground. The rest of the boys looked at each other and spread out a little, grinning silently.

"Wow! It really has been years since we last saw each other. Must have been graduation day, right?" Cardin said, crouching in front of her. "And look at you now. You're a woman! How weird is that?"

Velvet covered her head with her hands, uncaring of the pain it caused her to move her arms. "P-please, can I just g-go…? I didn't see anything, I s-swear."

"Velvet, buddy, come on. We're just having a chat, no need to get all stuttery on me," Cardin said. He looked at her camera, and though his smile didn't fade, she saw something change in his eyes. "You're still all about that, huh? The whole photography thing. I never got it, but hey, if that's your jam…"

He edged closer, and Velvet felt her heart thumping faster inside her.

"I heard you were so good, it got you a scholarship," he said. "Is that true?"

Hesitantly, Velvet nodded. If she humored him, maybe he'd let her go.

"That's weird, 'cause I used to go to Emerald University – before it got boring – but I never saw you there. How come?" Cardin asked.

"I… uhm… I l-left. It was just, you k-know… A little much?" Velvet stammered.

"Didn't feel right, I guess. Like you didn't belong." Cardin's smile widened. "I get that. Not personally, of course. _I_ was too good for that place. With you, it was the other way around."

Velvet opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a strangled sob.

"Oh, hey, I'm not saying that's the truth! It's just what I'm getting from what _you're_ saying," Cardin said, waving his hands amicably. "As far as I'm concerned, Velvet, you're great. They're worse off not having you there."

He gave her cheek a little rub and nodded. Velvet smiled shakily – then screamed as he pulled back his hand, balled it into a fist, and buried it in her stomach.

"Hah! So easy! You haven't changed at all!" Cardin chortled. "You really thought I was going to be nice to you? Are you really that _stupid_?"

He got up and kicked her in the chin, and Velvet fell on her back. He swung another kick, this time at her hips, and she doubled over in pain. Her head exploded with pain, as if a nail was being driven through the back of her skull, and over the ringing of her ears she heard the other boys' laughter and jeers.

"God, I missed this! You were always so fun to mess with!" Cardin said. "Say, where's your friend? You know, the bitchy and butchy one. I guess she's not around to protect you anymore!"

Velvet turned to glare at him. "When Coco hears about this…" she croaked. "She's going to _destroy_ you."

"No, she won't," Cardin said, his voice dropping dangerously. "You tell anyone about what you saw tonight, and I'll destroy _her_. Got it?"

Velvet's eyes widened. After what she'd seen, how could she not believe him? If Cardin wanted Coco hurt – if he wanted her _dead_ – then he would get his wish.

If that happened…

"I won't tell," Velvet whispered. "Please."

"I know you won't." Cardin crouched next to her. "But just to be sure…"

He grabbed her camera, and ripped it from her neck strap. He got up, turned it over in his hands, and smiled at her. Gleefully, like he was in a stage play, he raised it high over his head…

"No! Cardin! Cardin please please please _DON'T_ -"

…and dropped it. The camera hit the floor next to Velvet' head, and she watched it shatter into pieces in front of her eyes.

Her scream died in her throat. Velvet felt herself falling, like a hole had opened under her, and she plunged into the bottomless dark. Everything _burned_.

"No evidence," Cardin said. "That's what you get for intruding in my business. And it's just the beginning, so don't go getting any ideas."

"Check if she has a phone," Dove piped up. "Might have taken photos with it too."

Cardin reached down and whisked her phone from her pocket, snickering at her total lack of resistance. He dropped the phone on the ground, and Sky walked over and stomped on it.

"Alrighty. All's taken care of. Now just go back to your little hole, stay quiet, and your troubles will be over," Cardin said. "Let's clear, boys. Someone might have heard that blast, and I don't wanna be here when they come investigate."

He walked away, followed by his lackeys, all of them laughing like they were having the time of their life. A minute later, she heard the noise of the truck speeding away.

Velvet stared at the fragments of her camera, and felt herself die.

* * *

The door to the apartment was unlocked. Velvet shuffled in lethargically, and bowed her head as the bright light of the living room stung her eyes. She stood there for a moment, silent, unmoving, until she remembered that it wasn't a great idea to leave the door open behind her, and turned to shut it.

No sooner had the lock clicked, Coco came from the kitchen, wide-eyed and with her phone in hand. She dropped it and ran to Velvet, all but throwing herself against her. Velvet winced, the weight on her arm renewing the pain.

"Velvet! Oh my God, I was so worried!" Coco exclaimed, stepping back. "I was just about to call the police! Where were you, did something happen?"

Velvet opened her mouth, then closed it. Her eyes fell to the floor between them. "I got lost on the way home."

Coco blinked. "You _got lost_? Are you serious?" Her eyes narrowed with anger. "I told you to text me if you were going to leave without me! You… You could have just called me, and I would have come to pick you up. You've got to be joking, Velvet, I know you're – but this is another-" She stopped, her face going blank as she noticed something was missing. "Velvet. Where's your camera?"

Velvet bit her lip. She mumbled something, she didn't even know what, and shrugged powerlessly.

"Velvet, what happened? Tell me the truth." Coco put a hand on Velvet's shoulder, and gasped as Velvet winced and retreated from her touch. "Holy shit, did you get mugged?"

"Y-yeah," Velvet whispered. "I got mugged."

"And they took your-" Coco shook her head. "Here, sit down."

Coco gently pushed her to the sofa and sat her down, then left for the kitchen. She returned seconds later with a glass of water in hand, which she quickly handed to Velvet.

"Drink," Coco said, and Velvet obeyed wordlessly. The water went down her throat like ice. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"N-no," Velvet stuttered.

" _Velvet_."

"They shoved me, and I fell on my shoulder," Velvet said swiftly. "But it's n-nothing big. I'm just fine, Coco."

"You are most definitely _not_ fine, Velvet! They hurt you! I can't believe they hurt you!" Coco hissed. She sat down beside Velvet and grabbed her hand. "What did they look like? Were they anyone we know?"

"I don't remember."

Coco looked at her incredulously, and Velvet couldn't help but feel ashamed. Of course Coco would see through her lie. She knew how good Velvet's memory was, especially when it came to remembering even the most minute of visual details. That was part of why she'd been such a great photographer.

_Had been_.

"Velvet, you have to talk to me," Coco said. "I know it's scary, and you're probably freaking out right now, but you have to keep yourself together, just for now. If we're quick, the police can probably trace the guys that mugged you, maybe even recover your camera-"

"The camera's gone," Velvet said. "Please, Coco, I don't wanna talk about it. I don't wanna talk to the police. It happened, it's over. Right now, I just wanna lie down on my bed."

She stood up, and Coco looked up at her with such pity, Velvet was forced to turn away. They were silent for a moment, before Velvet walked away, heading to her room.

"Velvet. Wait," Coco called after her, and Velvet came to a stop. "We'll figure this out tomorrow. Everything will turn out okay. I promise."

Velvet didn't look back. Coco meant well, Velvet knew that, but nothing she could say would make things right. Velvet wasn't sure anything could make things right, ever.


	2. Nothingness

"Velvet!"

The door of Velvet's room shook as Coco knocked on it, making even the clock on her nightstand tremble and sway. Velvet took her pillow and pressed it over her face, trying to muffle the sound, but she couldn't ignore the vibrations.

"It's been three days, Velvet," Coco said on the other side of the door. "You have to come out."

Velvet tossed her pillow away. She closed her hands into fists and covered her eyes with them, wishing she could just fall back asleep and not have to deal with Coco and whatever she had to say.

"Velvet." Coco's voice dropped dangerously low, and she ceased knocking. "I will kick this door down."

Velvet sighed. She kicked off her blankets and sat on the edge of her bed, and glared at the door as if somehow that would make Coco go away.

"I don't wanna come out," she said. "Leave me alone."

"Well, boo-hoo. You have to come out," Coco said. "Your boss is here, and he wants to talk to you."

Velvet blinked. Mister Oobleck! The paper! She hadn't shown up at work for three days in a row, she'd missed her assignments, and she hadn't even offered an explanation why. God, how could she have forgotten?

"C-crap," she whispered to herself, jumping to her feet. She paced around her room for a moment, before turning back to the door. "Coco, c-can you explain to him what happened, t-that I lost my camera and-"

"No. _You_ have to talk to him," Coco interrupted. "You better hurry. I already invited him in, and you know I hate entertaining guests, especially when they're old men."

Velvet opened her mouth to beg, but Coco was already walking away. Cursing under her breath, Velvet got out of her pajamas as fast and she could and put on the first set of clothes she found on the floor. She patted her head, trying to wrestle her morning hair into submission, but it was a hopeless venture.

Velvet unlocked the door and all but ran to the living room, and was momentarily mystified by the sight of Mister Oobleck sitting on the sofa with a cup of steaming tea in hand. First off, she'd never seen him drink anything but coffee, and second, she didn't even know they had tea in the apartment.

Coco was sitting across from Oobleck on a chair she'd apparently taken from the kitchen. She saw Velvet and stopped in the middle of whatever she was saying, relief shining on her face. For her part, Velvet was once again hit by a wave of dread and profound anxiety.

"Velvet, my girl!" Oobleck said, turning to look at her. He raised his cup cheerily, a smile on his face. "What a wonder to see you. You've made everyone at the paper very worried with your vanishing!"

Velvet walked over, feeling awkward just moving in her own home. She stopped next to the sofa, and was torn between sitting beside Oobleck or continuing to stand. Thankfully, Coco seemed to notice her dilemma and stood up, offering her chair with a discrete nod.

"I-I have, Mister Oobleck?" Velvet said, sitting down. "Everyone?" There weren't that many people working at the _Forest Ink_ , so they all knew each other, but even so, Velvet never felt like they _knew_ her, much less cared about her.

"Why, of course. You're such a presence there, always attending to your duties to the paper or working on your own projects, it's only natural your absence would be felt," Oobleck said. "There was also the matter of your assignments. When you didn't turn them in, well, then we knew something was up."

"R-right! I'm so sorry about that, sir," Velvet stammered. "I really, really messed up, and there's no excuse for it. I-I should have done my job. I'll understand if you don't want me working for you anymore, sir…"

Unable to face Oobleck any longer, she let her hands fall to her lap and stared at them listlessly. She heard Coco walking away, and for a moment, there was silence in the living room – before Oobleck broke it, and quite candidly.

"Nonsense, you silly girl!" he exclaimed, and Velvet looked up at him again, startled. "How long ago did I hire you? Two years, I would say? And how many days off have you taken during that time?"

"Sir… I'm sure I've taken plenty," Velvet said.

"Compared to the amount of work you put in regularly?" Oobleck said, and leaned in conspiratorially. "Not to mention that some of your colleagues put in far less hours than you, and yet they seem to get debilitatingly sick every other Monday." He shook his head in wonder. "What I am trying to say, Velvet, is that you have an admirable work ethic, and because of that you can be forgiven a few days' indiscretion. Don't you agree?"

Hesitantly, Velvet nodded. How could she not agree?

"Besides," Oobleck said, and his face grew serious as he watched her. "I am under the impression that there is far more to your recent absence than one would readily assume. Or have I got the wrong impression?"

For a moment, Velvet seriously contemplated answering that yes, he was wrong, and she'd ditched work for no good reason at all. She'd been lazy. It might actually have been easier than telling the truth, and if not that, it certainly would be less painful.

As if she'd detected the change in course of the conversation, Coco returned to the living room with a coffee mug on her hands. She handed it to Velvet, then sat down on the arm of the sofa closest to her.

Velvet winced at the hotness of the mug, and looked down to find the coffee was steaming. When she looked up, she immediately noticed Oobleck staring wantonly at the mug. She offered it to him, and they exchanged drinks wordlessly. Oobleck seemed much more content with his newly acquired coffee. On the other hand, Velvet didn't have the stomach to look at her tea, let alone drink it.

"The truth is, Mister Oobleck… The reason I've not gone to work recently…" Velvet said shakenly. "I… had an accident. And I lost my camera."

Oobleck lowered the mug from his lips, his forehead wrinkling into a frown. "An accident, you say? But you're always so careful."

"She means she got mugged," Coco said. "They took her camera, and her phone."

"Why, that's terrible!" Oobleck gasped, and Velvet thought she'd never seen him quite this shocked before, and the paper had covered some rather ghastly stories since she'd been hired. "But you're otherwise okay, yes? You weren't harmed?"

Velvet's shoulders drooped. She put her cup on the floor beside her chair, thinking she might throw up if she smelled the tea any longer.

"She has a couple bruises on her," Coco said, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly on Velvet. "As far as I've been told."

"My…" Oobleck shook his head sadly. "I'm very sorry to hear this happened to you, Velvet. Have you filed a report with the police already?"

"I haven't…" Velvet said. "I don't think it would be useful. I didn't get a good look at the guys who mugged me, and my camera… I-It's kinda old, to be honest, so wherever it's ended up, I don't know if we can find it." Her breath caught in her throat. "I just… I'd rather put this whole thing behind me."

"Of course. I understand," Oobleck said. "Whatever you need to get better, dear girl."

Coco's already harsh expression soured even more, and Velvet realized she'd probably been banking on Mister Oobleck to convince her to go to the police. Of course, she didn't know what would happen if Velvet did that. She could never know.

_Tell anyone about what you saw tonight, and I'll destroy her._

Velvet shuddered, and that mustn't have gone unnoticed by Coco, as her expression softened a bit. Oobleck caught it too, and he stood up.

"Well, I won't force you to dwell on the uncomfortable any longer than necessary. I am sure you will land back on your feet," he said. "Take as much time as you need to recover and get your things in order. You needn't worry about your job – you'll be welcomed at the paper whenever you decide to return. And in the meanwhile, if you require any help, please, do not hesitate to ask."

Velvet bowed her head. "Thank you, sir. I'll be back soon, I promise."

Oobleck smiled warmly at her, and Velvet couldn't help but smile back.

"I'll show you out, Mister Oobleck," Coco said, standing up.

"Thank you, Miss Adel. It was a pleasure meeting you," Oobleck said. "And thank you for the cof- the tea! It was delicious."

"Yeah, I found it in a drawer in the kitchen a while back. Funny thing is, I don't remember ever buying it. Glad you liked it, though."

Coco opened the door and gestured at the hallway outside, looking Oobleck in the eyes unabashedly. He adjusted his tie and chuckled, then walked out of the apartment.

"Oh thank God, I thought he was never going to leave," Coco said before she'd even fully closed the door.

"Coco!" Velvet gasped.

"What?" Coco shrugged. "He's not _my_ boss."

She locked the door and walked over to Velvet, and looked her up and down with a thoroughness that made Velvet feel safe and distressed at the same time, somehow.

"You wanna go out for lunch?" Coco asked.

"…Not really," Velvet replied quietly. "Sorry."

"Hmph. Fine. I can fix something up in the kitchen," Coco said. "Fair warning, you'll have to be happy with spaghetti. Maybe with some sauce. I'm a fashionista, not a housewife."

She paused, as if to impress upon Velvet the magnitude of her sacrifice, before she left for the kitchen.

* * *

"Well, that was… something," Coco said. "I don't think I'm gonna be ordering from that place again. What a travesty of a-" She burped, and her face twisted into a scowled. "I hope they go out of business."

Velvet held her belly gingerly. She wouldn't go as far as wish misfortune upon anyone, but she had to agree, their choice of pizza had turned out pretty terrible. Even Coco's pasta would have been better.

Coco dragged her chair back and cast a hateful look at the kitchen sink. The dirty dishes had been building up over the last few days, and if they added anything more to the pile, everything might just topple over and shatter all over the place.

"God, I hate eating at home," Coco said. "Everything about it is sad, unsatisfying, and exhausting." She groaned. "Mostly the latter."

"I'll do the dishes," Velvet said, starting to get up.

"No. You sit pretty and finish your drink," Coco said. "I'll deal with this mess."

Velvet sat back down and tapped her glass awkwardly. She knew arguing with Coco would only make her more determined to shoulder that burden, even if she hated every second of it.

"You know the first thing I'm gonna do when I get rich and famous?" Coco said, moving over to the sink and picking up a greasy bowl.

"Hire a chef?" Velvet guessed.

"That's the second thing." Coco turned on the faucet and started to scrub the bowl, becoming more disgusted with every second. "First, I'm gonna break every dish in my goddamn mansion, and then replace them all. Then I'm gonna break those too. That's how traumatic this is for me, Velvet."

"Okay…" Velvet said. "But wouldn't you have to buy a mansion first?"

Coco glared at her over her shoulder, and Velvet raised her hands amicably.

For a few minutes, the running water was the only source of noise in the kitchen. Coco had ceased complaining at all, entering a trance-like state as she went through the dishes. Her mind seemed to be not on the task at all, but something else entirely.

Velvet took a sip of her soda. She wanted to get back to her room, and to her bed, but it would be rude to just leave when Coco was going out of her way to make her feel better. Not that it was working all that well. Having Coco do stuff for her only made Velvet feel worse.

"Hey, Velvet," Coco said suddenly, her voice unusually quiet. "What happened to you… What they _did_ to you. It wasn't personal, was it?"

"What do you mean, p-personal?" Velvet said. "Like, was it my…"

"No. Not your fault. That's not what I said," Coco interrupted. "What I mean is, there's a lot of assholes out there who would think it's okay to hurt you because… because you were born a certain way. And they think you're lesser, or whatever stupidity they-"

She stopped herself. Her knuckles had turned white around the plate she was washing. Coco put it down gently, and leaned on the sink.

"Was it like that?" Coco asked. "Is that why you don't wanna go to the police?"

"I don't… I don't know if I mattered that I'm a f-faunus, Coco," Velvet said. "It wasn't like… They didn't _explain_ anything to me."

"But you would _know_ ," Coco said, looking back at her. "Right?"

Velvet could only shrug in response. Of course it had been personal, but Coco was missing the reason _why_. And it was good she was.

"I _hate_ this," Coco hissed, and Velvet knew she wasn't referring to the dishes this time. "Goddamnit. I'm _beyond_ pissed." She picked up a plate, and sighed deeply. "And that's probably not helping you."

"Not really…" Velvet said. "B-but it's very sweet of you!"

"Well that just makes everything sunshine and rainbows, now doesn't it?" Coco started to scrub again, so hard Velvet feared she might break a plate and hurt herself.

Velvet finished the rest of her soda. Now was probably the time to leave, before…

"We've gotta get you a new phone," Coco said. "Can't walk around without one on you. Can't do anything, these days."

"Y-yeah. Good t-thinking," Velvet said anxiously. "I have some money saved up. M-maybe tomorrow we can-"

"I'll pitch in," Coco said. "And I'll buy you a new camera."

"What? No!" Velvet exclaimed. "You can't do that, Coco!"

"How are you gonna do your job, then, Velvet? You need a camera, and those things aren't cheap," Coco said. "Look, if it's a pride thing, you can just pay me back later."

"A _pride thing_?" Velvet repeated. "It's not a-"

"If it's not that, then what the hell is it?"

_Charity case. Charity case_.

Velvet stood up, her fists shaking. "I don't need you to buy me anything, Coco. I don't want you to!"

"Then how the hell am I supposed to help you, Velvet?" Coco turned around with a plate. "You won't tell me what's going on, you treat me like I'm some kinda bother! Your boss comes around and you promise him you're gonna get things in order, but you won't do anything about it! It's like you don't even care that-"

The plate slipped from her hands and shattered on the ground. Its shards scattered across the kitchen floor. Velvet reached for her camera around her neck – but of course, it wasn't there.

She glared at Coco. _It's your fault. Happy?_

"Great," Coco said, throwing her hands up. "Now I gotta fix this too."

"I didn't ask you to fix _anything_ ," Velvet muttered.

Coco looked at her and scoffed. "Knock yourself out, then."

She stormed out of the kitchen, leaving the water running on the sink.

Velvet stood frozen in the middle of the kitchen, feeling a pit on the bottom of her stomach. Numbly, she turned off the faucet, then kneeled on the floor and started to pick up the scattered shards.

* * *

If Velvet had been reluctant to leave her room before, now she was practically living in it, and the rest of the apartment was like desolate land to her. She only left to retrieve food from the kitchen and shower, and she made those incursions very quick. Being outside meant possibly coming across Coco, and coming across Coco meant pretending to still be angry at her, and pretend to still be angry at her meant…

Velvet had too much going on already. Feuding with Coco was one burden too many. She wanted to make up – God, she wanted to – and Coco wanted the same, surely, but if that happened, they would then go back to square one, with the questions and the secrecy and the covering the truth…

It hurt, but the right thing to do was to wall Coco out. Coco would never know, but Velvet was doing it for her sake. If there was one thing Velvet could still do with her life in shambles, it was protecting her friend.

And that was what she intended to do. Forever, if she had to.

* * *

"Get your ass up." Coco kicked Velvet's bed. "Get. Up."

Startled awake, Velvet sat up and retreated to the corner of her bed, looking at Coco with wide eyes. What was Coco doing in her room, her only sanctuary? And more importantly, why was Coco all dressed up for a trip?

"You're a damn mess. Your room too," Coco said, looking around. "It's shameful."

"C-Coco, what are you doing here?" Velvet looked at the clock on her nightstand. "It's eight in the morning. On a Saturday."

Coco lowered her shades to squint at Velvet. "And Saturday is your special day when you get to decompress after the _very busy_ week you've had?"

"No… You're missing the point," Velvet said.

"Yeah, and I'm also missing you," Coco said frankly. "Hopefully I won't have to any longer. You're the best person in my life, and I want us to be friends again." She cleared her throat. "There, I got the touchy-feely stuff out of the way. Now get up and start packing."

Velvet opened and closed her mouth, the emotional whiplash rendering her speechless. And as if Coco's speech hadn't been enough, now she was dropping some sort of ticket on Velvet's lap.

Was this a fever dream? Had the stress finally caught up to her?

"I am so confused," she mumbled, her eyes darting from the ticket to Coco. "I should be packing? What for? Are you – are you kicking me out? I k-know things got out of hand, but-"

"Woah, let me stop you right there." Coco raised a hand to silence her. "I'm not kicking you out, you drama queen. No, we're going on a tour. A _hike_. In the Emerald Forest."

She closed her eyes and scrunched up her forehead, as if saying those words caused her physical pain.

"Wait." Velvet grabbed the ticket and studied it up close. "This is the hike I was planning to make. Before my camera… you know. I refunded everything." She looked at Coco and frowned. "Coco, did you buy-"

"I'm not trying anything here, Velvet," Coco said tiredly. "You're miserable right now, and I get it. What happened sucks. But you're not gonna feel better by isolating yourself from the world." She paused. "Were you, or were you not really excited to go on this stupid hike?"

"…I was," Velvet admitted. "Because I had plans. Plans that involved, you know, _my camera_. The one I lost?"

"Well, you didn't lose me, and I'd wager I can entertain you half as well as some boring photos," Coco said, putting her hands on her hips. "Not that your photos are boring. I'm just trying to win an argument here, and your sensitivities are a secondary priority right now."

"I've gathered that, thank you," Velvet said. "I'm not going. Can you let me sleep now?"

Coco sighed. "The bus leaves in two hours. I'll be waiting in the living room. Try not to be too late?"

"Oh, I'll try not to, yeah!" Velvet exclaimed, shaking a fist at Coco.

Coco barely blinked an eye, utterly unimpressed by that truly remarkable comeback. Velvet crossed her arms and nodded at the door, and Coco left without objection – though Velvet did catch her rolling her eyes on the way out.

"You can't bribe me," Velvet muttered once she was alone. "Just because you apologized and – and said all that sentimental stuff, I'm not gonna feel bad."

She pursed her lips and glared at the floor, obstinate in her resolution to not cave in to Coco's emotional blackmail.

* * *

"See? This isn't so bad, now is it?" Coco said, elbowing Velvet lightly. "It's almost like the world is _not_ a hellscape outside of your room. Who would have guessed?"

Velvet sank deeper in her seat and leaned her head against the bus window. She really detested how smug Coco could act sometimes. Even if it was kinda enjoyable.

"Now, I won't be expecting a thank you from you any time soon, _but_ ," Coco said. "I will remind you that there's not one thing about this forest that doesn't make me want to barf my intestines out."

"You're the one who decided we should go, Coco," Velvet said, turning to look at her friend again. "What's your point here?"

"My point is, I was lying, and I _will_ be expecting a thank you," Coco answered, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other. "Right now would be a good time, honeybuns."

"I-I'm not going to thank you for dragging me here!" Velvet said. "And, please, we've talked about this, Coco."

Coco lifted her shades from her eyes with a flick of a finger. "About what, exactly?"

"You c-calling me… _honeybuns_ , when we're in public," Velvet whispered.

She looked past Coco and met eyes with a man sitting across the aisle from them. He must have been listening in on their conversation for some time now, because he had a very interested look on his face. Velvet pulled back and trained her eyes on her lap, becoming beet red.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forgot that makes you uncomfortable," Coco said. Her lips quirked into a grin, and Velvet braced herself in horror of what was to come. "Don't worry, I'll make sure not to forget again, sweetcheeks!"

Velvet covered her face with her hands as she felt her soul leave her body. Coco lowered her shades, her smile only widening as she watched Velvet squirm.

About half an hour later, the brownish landscapes of the countryside outside Emerald Hills gave way to greener pastures. The terrain became uneven, and more and more trees sprung on the sides of the road, until they were so dense nothing could be seen past them. They were entering the forest proper, and Velvet was surprised to find herself becoming actually excited to be there.

"Joy," Coco remarked dryly beside her. "I can hear the monkeys already."

"There aren't any monkeys in the Emerald Forest, silly!" Velvet said, slapping Coco's shoulder. "Lemurs are the closest thing. Maybe that's what you're hearing?"

Coco rolled her eyes. "I remain thoroughly disgusted."

The bus drove on, delving deeper into the woods. At some point, the road ended, and all that was left to guide them the rest of the way were vague trails on the forest floor. Velvet now understood why people were discouraged to explore the forest without professional supervision.

Eventually, they reached a wider clearing in the forest, and the bus slowed to a halt. A couple minutes later, the driver opened the bus doors, and their tour guide told everyone to get out. Coco made a face as she fixed the straps of her field boots, then got up from her seat, and Velvet followed after her.

Her feet hit the grass, and Velvet was immediately awestruck by her surroundings. She'd seen photos of the Emerald Forest before, but whoever had taken them really hadn't done justice to the real thing. The trees were so vividly green it was no wonder how the forest had gotten its name, and the way the treetops filtered the sunlight from above, dotting the ground with miniature stars…

God, Velvet really wished she had her camera with her.

"Don't look too hard, or you're gonna burn out your eyes before we've even started," Coco whispered in her ear.

Realizing she was making her fascination with the forest a little too obvious, Velvet nodded seriously and stepped forward to join the rest of the tour.

"Alright, everyone. Welcome to the Emerald Forest!" the guide said, gesturing at the trees around them. "I'm sure you're dying to get exploring after the long ride here, but let's slow our jets for a second while I explain how things will go from here. I know you've all gone over the pamphlets and heard the speech again and again, but it doesn't hurt to refresh your memories!" She raised her hands level with her head, making two V's with her fingers. "Repeat with me - a conscious hike is a fulfilling hike!"

The group repeated after her half-heartedly, except for Velvet, who was too embarrassed to say those words aloud, and Coco, who was too busy grumbling under her breath about how much she regretted some select decisions she'd made in her life.

"As much as we'd like to let you go off on your own, we cannot advise you to do that. The forest is tricky to navigate even for people who know it well, and if you wander too deep into it, it's possible to get lost in it for days – if you even find your way out of it at all! Oh no!" The guide touched her palms to her cheeks, acting like she was scared out of her mind. "So we'll split off into groups, each one led by one of us, the Emerald Guides! Say hi, Emerald Guides!"

Behind her, a group of very unenthusiastic-looking teenagers unenthusiastically cheered and waved to the group.

"But they're… just kids," Velvet whispered. "I don't feel very safe, Coco."

"Damn right. Keep your head up at all times, Velv." Coco glared intensely at the tour guide. "I don't trust anyone who sets a bunch of ticking hormone-bombs free in a forest and expects everything to turn out okay."

Velvet thought that was a very specific mistrust to have, but she nodded in support of her friend anyway.

"Each of the groups will visit one of the places of interest listed in your pamphlets. You'll stay there for about an hour, then come back here, where you'll then choose where to go next," the main guide continued her instructions, still as bubbly as when she'd started. "Unfortunately, we only have time for three trips today, so you'll have to choose your destinations well! Now let's see who's taking who where! Melinda here – say hi to the group, Melinda!"

"Sup."

"She'll be taking you to the Caverns of Underground Roots! Oooh, so otherworldly, and very much worth your money! And George – say hello, George! He'll be-"

Velvet zoned out as the lady droned on and on about the groups. Some of these places sounded interesting, but none of them were what she was excited about. So many people had seen them over the years, and so many photos had been taken of them already, there was nothing new to be found there.

There was one place she'd like to explore in the forest, the reason she'd taken an interest in the hike in the first place, but it wasn't listed on the tour company's pamphlets. The Anesidora Ruins. Velvet had no clue what an _Anesidora_ was, but supposedly, there had once been a temple in these woods, before something had happened to it and it had been destroyed and abandoned.

Historians had explored the ruins before, and they'd found very little of interest. But Velvet was sure there was more to that story. If she could only get there…

"Finally. I thought that hag was never going to stop talking," Coco said all of a sudden, snapping Velvet from her thoughts. "So, the day is yours. Where do you wanna go first?" She looked at her hopefully. "Home?"

"I'm not sure…" Velvet replied. Oh, she was sure, very, very sure. She had a plan. But it would be stupid to even consider going through with it. "How about… the Verdant Summit?"

"Are you kidding me? You want to climb all the way to the top of that stupid mountain?" Coco pinched her forehead and drew a deep breath. "You're punishing me for embarrassing you earlier, aren't you?"

"No, I genuinely want to go there!" Velvet paused. "Maybe just a little."

"…Okay. If you insist." Coco sighed. "I am _such_ a good friend…"

* * *

The truth was, Velvet didn't want to go to the Verdant Summit either. It was just the top of a mountain. A very, very tall mountain, and the last thing Velvet wanted to do was climb all the way up there. Maybe if she had her camera, she could take some interesting pictures of the rest of the forest from up above, but alas, that boat had sailed.

The reason she'd chosen to go with the Verdant Summit group was that the path to the mountain was the closest point the tour would take her to the Anesidora Ruins. The ruins were still somewhat off the beaten path, but Velvet was confident she could find her way there and back.

Of course, their assigned Emerald Guide wouldn't approve of anyone slipping away to their own devices, so she would have to be very discreet. And then there was the problem of Coco…

"Hey. Stop here with me for a second," Velvet whispered in Coco's ear, midway to the mountain. "I need a breather."

"Already?" Coco looked at her an exasperated look, but stopped anyway. "You're no better than when we used to climb ropes for gym class."

"Don't remind me. I hated that." Velvet leaned on her knees, pretending to be winded. "The school made all of us wear short shorts."

"I don't see what's so wrong with that." Coco grinned. "Too bad Coach Jerry didn't either."

The memory evoked such shame and disgust in Velvet, suddenly she didn't feel bad at all about what she was about to drag Coco into.

Velvet waited a bit longer, letting the rest of the group get further ahead without them, before she stood up and grabbed Coco's wrist. Coco stared at her, bemused, then yelped as Velvet walked off to the right of the beaten path, dragging Coco with her unceremoniously.

"Velvet! What are you doing!" Coco exclaimed. "Our Emerald Gui- Our dead-eyed teen went _that_ way, not this way!"

"I know," Velvet said. "We're not going to climb the mountain."

"We're not going to climb the mountain?" Coco repeated, delighted. "Wait. We're not going to climb the mountain?" she repeated once again, this time more confused than anything else.

Velvet kept on walking, only stopping when Coco stomped on the back of her foot.

"Velvet, you're acting like a crazy person – which granted, is not entirely out of the normal, but…" Coco crossed her arms, demanding an explanation.

"There's a place I want to see, but the guides won't take us there," Velvet explained, talking fast, as if somehow that would make her sound more reasonable. "I know how to get there, though. It's not far from here."

Coco removed her shades altogether and stared hard at Velvet. Yeah, the fast talking hadn't worked as intended.

"I promise you I know what I'm doing, Coco. I studied the forest a lot before I bought my first ticket – the one I sold, remember? - so I really do know how to find my way there. And I can also find the way back easily." Velvet tapped the side of her head. "Photographic memory, remember? And have you ever known me to get lost?"

"You got lost last week," Coco deadpanned. "The exact same night you got robbed and beaten."

Velvet opened her mouth, then closed it. She let go of Coco's wrist, feeling her spirit deflate. Coco was right, of course. She was acting recklessly, for no reason whatsoever. Even if she did find those ruins, what good would that do her? None.

It wouldn't mean a thing.

Not after that night.

"You know what?" Coco said. She looked at the sky, then back at Velvet, and shook her head. "I dragged you here, so if you want to go wandering off into the unknown to satisfy your baffling need to investigate things no one cares about… Then that's what we'll do."

Velvet covered her mouth with her hands, feeling tears come to her eyes. She stepped towards Coco, making to hug her, but Coco raised her hands and pushed her back, a cautionary look on her face.

"R-right. Sorry." Velvet wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "No touchy-feely."

"Indeed. I'm only humoring you because someone has to make sure you don't fall into a hole and break all your bones," Coco said. "Just tell me, where are we going?"

"The… uh…" Velvet paused, sucking in air between her teeth. "The Anesidora Ruins…"

Coco stared at her blankly for a moment, before she put on her shades and gestured for Velvet to guide the way. Velvet turned around and started walking again, pumping her fist for joy. With the way Coco groaned behind her, Velvet guessed she must have caught that.

They forged on ahead, with Velvet leading the charge confidently – for a couple minutes, until she realized that maybe she'd been a little arrogant to think she could navigate the densest forest in the continent of Sanus because she'd spent a few hours studying it online. The trees had looked so different and easily identifiable in the pictures! She was beginning to suspect someone had abused an editing software a _little too much_.

Luckily for her, Coco was too busy complaining about the forest to notice her deteriorating confidence. And to be fair, Velvet didn't like having insects buzzing around her either. The general smell was terrible too. How many species lived in this forest, again?

Just as she was about to admit that she was lost, Velvet saw a break in the trees up ahead. She grabbed Coco's wrist and sped up, and soon they crossed the natural threshold into a wide clearing.

"Yes!" Velvet yelled excitedly. "We're not lost!"

"Excuse me, _what_?" Coco said, freeing her hand with a shake.

"Uh, nothing. Look!" Velvet made a sweeping motion at the space in front of them. "It's the Anesidora Ruins!"

Scattered throughout the clearing were various stone structures, some small, other bigger, though all of them were broken in some way or another. They'd clearly fit together in some distant past, though Velvet couldn't quite picture how in her mind, at least not yet. Moss and vines had grown over them and worn off what might once have been vibrant colors.

"Wow. It looks so old and… mysterious. Like it holds so many secrets, and we can't even imagine what they might be," Velvet said, stepping forward. "Do you know the history of this place, Coco?"

Following her, Coco shrugged. "Why don't you tell me?"

"The thing is, I can't, because no one knows the true history," Velvet said. "The only consensus is that these structures used to be a temple. To whom or what, nobody knows. And we don't know who build it either. Some theories say it was a place of worship built by the first men of Sanus. Others say that, no, it was built more recently than that, maybe even dating back to the first monarchs. It's just that nobody dared to explode the jungle back then, so it went unnoticed."

"Well, judging by the state of this thing, I guess they were right to stay away," Coco mused. "Any theories about what happened here?"

"Time, most likely. But I don't buy that," Velvet said. "Structures crumble over the ages, you can't argue about that, but just look at this. It's almost like it was demolished on purpose, either by the people who built them… or someone else. Something happened here, we just don't know what."

"Cool," Coco said, nodding appreciatively. "…You think they buried any bug repellents?"

Velvet rubbed her forehead. Well, she couldn't expect Coco to be as captivated by loose theories of ancient history as she was. Coco had more important things to think about, such as, for example, _the real world_.

"I wanna go closer," Velvet said. "There's a part of the temple we can actually get inside."

Coco cast a doubtful look at the ruins. "That sounds like a bad idea."

"Oh, come on, Coco, it's perfectly safe," Velvet said. "I've read about it."

"Well, if you've _read_ about it!" Coco shook her head. "I swear, you're going to be the death of me. Go on, I'll be right behind you."

Velvet went ahead, passing between the ruins as she headed towards the biggest one in the center. It had the vague resemblance of a church, though the roof and most of the upper half of it had collapsed. Somehow, the walls closest to the ground had not crumbled under all that weight. The pile of rubble, covered by the natural green of the forest, cast a shadow over the area under it.

"This _cannot_ be safe," Coco said when they reached the entrance.

"If it didn't collapse after ten thousand years, it's not gonna collapse now," Velvet said.

"I thought you said you didn't know when this place was built."

"Ballpark."

"Great. You can't order fast food without stuttering, but this - this is nothing to you."

Velvet hunched over to look into the temple. It was so dark, even she was having trouble seeing anything. She could only imagine how Coco was dealing.

"I'm going in," Velvet said. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Coco crossed her arms, obviously torn between her fear and her need to protect Velvet.

"I promise I won't fall into any holes," Velvet said.

"…Fine," Coco said abruptly. She took out her cellphone and started a timer. "But if you don't come out of there in ten minutes, I'm leaving you to be eaten by the lemurs." She glared at the trees around them. "I bet _they_ destroyed the temple, the little devils."

Not a likely theory, but Velvet didn't argue. Coco clearly had an emotional bias going on there.

Velvet went over the threshold, bending her neck to avoid scrapping her ears across the ceiling. The air inside the temple was so dusty, she had to squint her eyes to keep them from stinging too much. It was a miracle she didn't go into a fit of sneezing either. Her nose was very sensitive.

Thankfully, it wasn't so dark that she couldn't see where she was going. She went to a wall and put a hand on it before moving onward, using it as a reference point so she wouldn't get lost on the way back.

That also gave her the opportunity to inspect the scribbles on the wall. Sadly, most of them had been lost to time, and of the ones that remained, Velvet could hardly decipher them. There was some form of writing in a language she didn't know, and likely no one did, or else she'd probably have read about it during her research.

There were some drawings, though. Figures, not unlike the kind cavemen used to paint on the walls of their… well, caves. They depicted all sorts of creatures, from animals to humans, even faunus.

How progressive! Velvet liked these temple people.

Some of the figures puzzled her, though. They resembled animals, but they were so much larger than the depictions of the humans and faunus. They were, in the absence of a better word, _scary_. They almost looked like…

Velvet bit her lip. No, it couldn't be.

She stopped in her tracks, looking at the wall, and her excitement slowly faded as she felt the weightlessness around her neck. If only she had her camera, any camera. The photos she could take here. They probably wouldn't be any good under all this dust, and with the lack of light, but…

What was she doing? What was the point? She was nothing without a camera. Less than nothing. She was a burden, and a… a disappointment.

Velvet rubbed her eyes. Screw her pride. Screw pretending Cardin was wrong about her. She was going to get out of this stupid temple, join back with Coco, and when they got back home, she was going to talk with her about a new camera.

_Ask her_ for one, rather.

She took a deep breath, and started to turn back towards the entrance. But as she turned away from the wall, she heard something behind her, and she looked back over shoulder.

There was some sort of… light, coming from deeper within the ruined temple. And the noise it made, she'd never heard anything like it. It was like the sea if it had a voice, like the melody of a ray of sunlight, like…

Like the universe, calling to her.

And then the light faded, and the noise stopped. Velvet gasped. She ran a hand across her neck, looking towards where the light had been. She took a step forward.

And fell through a hole.

* * *

Velvet opened her eyes and saw darkness. Not darkness like the absence of light. _Darkness_. _Nothingness_. All around her, but not touching her. Never touching her.

She couldn't be touched by it, as she was nothingness herself, after all.

She turned around, and saw the light in the form of a sphere. It floated in front of her for a second, then slowly moved around her head, before coming to a stop before her eyes.

"Where am I?" Velvet asked. "Do you want something from me?"

The light exploded in all directions, erasing the darkness, and her with it. Then it shrank back into a sphere, and floated there.

Oh. That was obvious.

Velvet raised her hand and grasped the light.


	3. And She was Magic, or Something

Velvet sat up on her bed. She blinked twice, clearing the mist from her eyes, and stretched her arms above her head as a yawn overpowered her. Her room was dark, with the lights off and the shutters on her window down and shut, but she could hear vehicles outside. It had to be morning, perhaps even later than that.

A glance at her clock confirmed her suspicion. Eleven and twenty-seven. She lied back down, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Yeah, that was a little too late for her to still be in bed.

How refreshing was that thought? The Velvet she'd been for the last week wouldn't have thought twice before rolling over and going back to sleep. But not anymore. Not today. She was still drowsy, and there was still an anxious feeling brewing at the pit of her stomach, but at the same time, she was filled with a strange kind of energy. There was something inside her that was encouraging her to get up and get out there.

Velvet smiled.

And then she realized something was off. She rewound the events of the morning in her head, from the moment she'd gotten up, trying to place where that feeling came from. Wake up, stretch, listen to the morning noises, check time, lie back down…

The time! Or rather, the date. Velvet swiped her clock off her nightstand and stared at it in shock.

"Sunday," she mouthed. "Today's Sunday."

And yesterday had been Saturday. She and Coco had gone on the hike yesterday. She'd been so nervous, but it had been fun. Exploring the ruins had been a delight. And after that…

They'd come back home, and she'd gone to sleep…? They must have eaten first. And she must have showered before going to bed, too, since she didn't smell like forest. The problem was, she didn't remember any of that.

She remembered… some kind of light? It had come to her, spoken to her, and she'd… grabbed it.

Velvet scoured the room with her eyes, as if she could somehow glean the answer to her questions from the darkness. She touched her forehead, trailing shaking fingertips across her brow. What if she'd gotten into an accident, or she had a disease of some sort? People didn't just lose half a day's memories for no reason.

Velvet jumped off her bed, throwing her blankets across the room. She couldn't stay trapped in her thoughts or she'd go crazy. She needed to get out!

Not bothering to change out of her pajamas, Velvet opened the door to her room and stepped into the hallway, feeling a rush of relief as she basked in the soft light. There were familiar grumblings coming from the living room, so she headed there immediately.

Coco was the source of the noises, of course. She was standing in front of a mirror whilst she rummaged through her purse, her eyes narrowed and lips moving with furious energy.

Velvet stood still for a moment, unsure how to start this conversation. _Good morning. Did you have lunch already? Oh, by the way, I might have amnesia._

"H-hey, Coco," she said, hesitantly waving a hand.

Coco stopped rummaging through her purse momentarily to look up at Velvet. "Hey, honeybuns. Good morning to you." Her eyes scanned Velvet up and down, taking in her pajamas and the disheveled state of her hair. "You feeling better from yesterday?"

"Huh?"

"You had a nasty headache. Barely got through dinner," Coco said, raising an eyebrow at Velvet. "You don't remember?"

 _I don't!_ "Oh. Y-yeah." Velvet rubbed her forehead. No signs of a headache. She was feeling great, in fact. "Sorry, I must have been super out of it. But I'm okay now."

"Must have been all the excitement from the trip," Coco said matter-of-factly, and returned to rummaging through her purse.

Velvet nodded in agreement, though she was more confused than ever. Perhaps Coco was on to something. Velvet had just had a very stressful week, after all. Maybe her mind was having some difficulty getting back to normal. That sounded scientific and completely normal enough!

Still… Falling through holes, and touching little balls of light… She was pretty sure she hadn't hallucinated any of that. But seeing as she could think of no other plausible explanation, she chose to keep to herself for now, and not freak Coco out.

Anyway, it was likely Velvet wouldn't even be worrying about any of this by tomorrow. She was just her being her usual neurotic self. Everything would be fine.

"There!" Coco exclaimed. "Found you, you piece of junk."

With an almost feral growl, she yanked her hand out of her purse, holding a tube of lipstick. It was only as she watched Coco coat her lips in a vivid red that Velvet noticed what she was wearing – a dress that, while not excessively extravagant, certainly was not the kind of wear you put on for a regular day out. Not that Velvet didn't know Coco to indulge in such things – she was a fashion major, after all – but this still struck her as odd.

"You're, ah," Velvet said awkwardly, looking away. "Going out?"

"Yep. I'm meeting a classmate for lunch," Coco said. She cast Velvet an apologetic look through the mirror. "I would have invited you, but we're going to be discussing our final project. It's very important. Besides, you would probably be bored out of your mind."

"You're probably right," Velvet said. "Can I ask who you're meeting…?"

"Dew," Coco said. She finished applying her lipstick, giving her reflection a smirk to make sure she'd done everything right. Satisfied, she put the tube away in her back, and succinctly added, "That sanctimonious bitch."

"Coco, I know I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to, you know, people stuff," Velvet said. "But don't you think it's weird that you're getting all dolled up to meet someone you despise? And you're doing your project with her?"

"Oh, Velvet, you're right that you don't get these things," Coco said, sighing dramatically. "It is _because_ I despise Dew that I must go to such lengths. It's about establishing superiority."

"If you say so…"

Velvet wondered if all fashions students acted this way, or it was just a Coco thing. Honestly, the latter didn't sound nearly as ludicrous as it should.

"Well, I must be going. Wouldn't do to leave _Gayl_ waiting," Coco said. She smoothed out her dress one last time, then turned and headed to the door, stopping to hold Velvet's shoulder. "It's good to see you out of bed again, Velv. When I get back, we'll talk about plans for the future, okay?"

"Okay…" Velvet said, though she wasn't sure what Coco meant by _plans for the future_. "Have fun establishing stuff."

Coco smirked at her, then left the apartment.

Velvet's stomach growled. Well, if Coco wasn't going to be home for lunch, then she supposed she could just heat something up for herself. Food would take her mind off of things, and then she could think about to do with the rest of the day.

For some reason, she felt very hopeful about today.

* * *

Velvet finished drying her plate and turned off the sink. She put the plate away, then leaned on the kitchen table, deep in thought.

Coco had mentioned something about plans. The way she'd spoken, it had made it seem like she and Velvet had had some kind of conversation already. A conversation Velvet didn't remember having.

The future… Velvet remembered _wanting_ to talk to Coco. Her face burned with shame as she recalled her decision to give up and just ask Coco to buy her a new camera. Had she done that? Was that what Coco had been referring to before?

Velvet dearly hoped she was overthinking things. She was in a rough spot, that was true, and she had been ready to throw away her pride… But now she knew that wasn't necessary. She had some money saved up, not enough to replace her camera, but if she sold some of her belongings and got a temporary job somewhere – maybe waiting tables, or whatever it was that people did when they were in a pinch – then maybe in a month or two she would have what she needed.

Yes, that was what she was going to do, and she would get started right away! No need to wait for Coco to rescue her. When Coco came back, she wouldn't even be home. She would be out in the city, scouring every street for job openings.

Velvet marched to her room to change, a fire burning inside her-

And froze when she saw a camera sitting on her nightstand.

"Oh."

The likely explanation was she and Coco had indeed already talked about it, and they'd gone to a store to buy the camera after the trip yesterday. Or perhaps Coco had bought it in secret, and this was her idea of a surprise gift.

Yes, those were very rational conclusions to come to. Yet Velvet absolutely knew that neither were true. Staring at the camera, the exact same model as her last one, her first one, which had been gifted to her by her father when she was twelve, she knew…

Something weird was going on.

Velvet walked over to the nightstand. She stared at the camera for a moment, then slowly reached for it, stopping just short of touching it and pulling her hand back. What if her fingers went right through; what if her mere touch turned the camera into dust?

Holding her breath, she picked up the camera. As soon as her fingers touched it, a tingling sensation ran across her arms, and she felt a clarity of mind. Even in the dark, her room seemed uncannily bright. It was like… like she could see life itself, in every particle of air that hovered around her, on every spec of dust on her nightstand. Life…

She ran her fingers over the camera, feeling the cool metal that was so familiar and foreign at the same time. Everything was where it was supposed to be. The lens attached was the same she'd been using when Cardin had assaulted her.

Even the neck strap was the same, Velvet was astounded to see. Although one thing about it caught her eye – there was something written across it, like a brand's name.

ANESIDORA.

Velvet almost dropped the camera. She put it down on her bed and backed away from it, breathing in and out, her mind running wild. Anesidora, like the temple ruins. The place she'd gone into and didn't remember coming out of. Where she'd…

"Oh my God. You're the orb thingy," Velvet said. She crouched next to her bed and peered at the camera. "Hello? Little ball of light, talk to me?" She poked it. It didn't respond.

Suddenly it dawned on her that she was talking to a camera. A mysterious, very-possibly-magical-in-nature camera, but still a camera.

And she was still in her pajamas.

"Do you, uhm… actually work?" Velvet asked. "Right. Silly question."

She picked up the camera – her camera? – and brought it up to her face. She looked around her room for a good target and settled on one of her old stuffed bunnies – Miss Peaches, who had helped her sleep on so many turbulent nights - sitting on a high shelf across her bed. She turned on the lights and aimed at the bunny.

Well, the live preview was working all right, it seemed. The camera was an actual camera, then, and not just a prop. Though the focus was very off. Velvet made a little noise of annoyance and moved her hand to adjust it, only to gasp in surprise as the focusing ring spun without her fingers ever touching it. The image sharpened to a fine point immediately, when it would have taken her a few seconds to get it just right.

She was almost afraid to press the shutter button. Who knew what might happen? But when she took the plunge, nothing strange occurred. Miss Peaches didn't come to life, and aliens didn't burst through her window to abduct her. She was fine.

The only question was, would she be able to print out this photo? Did this magical camera also come with a magical memory card inside, preferably with unlimited storage space, or was that too much to ask? She didn't have the means to test it at home. Mister Oobleck allowed the free use of the _Forest Ink_ 's facilities by his employees, but it would be a little awkward for her to strut into the paper just for that without going back to work. She supposed she would have to find another place to-

Something flashed before her eyes. Velvet took a step back and blinked, and when she looked again, she saw a light hovering in the middle of her room. It shone bright for a second, then dimmed and took on a blue glow. A second later, it shrunk into a thin square shape, and the next thing she knew, there was a photograph floating there.

"Oh, oh no, oh no no no…" Velvet muttered to herself, her teeth chattering as she gathered the courage to touch the photo, expecting her fingers to burn at the touch. But when she eventually did grab the photo, everything was fine, and she had a perfect capture of Miss Peaches on her hands.

This was the moment she ought to wake up. In the absence of that, she should probably faint, or walk to the nearest hospital and check herself in. Yet as confused as she was by this frankly _ludicrous_ development, she wasn't exactly scared. It felt wrong to admit it, even to only herself in her own head, but she was actually… _excited_.

Velvet put the camera down on her bed and spared herself a moment to breathe. She needed to take a walk. Get some fresh air, clear her mind a bit.

And do some more testing.

* * *

Snapping pictures of people had always felt a little awkward to Velvet. People were different than objects and places – they had lives and thoughts of their own, and to capture even a tiny of those in a photo felt like an invasion of privacy. Velvet certainly didn't like having pictures taken of her, whether by her own hands or someone else's.

But she'd learned to deal with it once she started to work for Mister Oobleck. Being a photographer for a newspaper meant taking photos of people often and for various reasons, like an interview or the covering of an event. The experience had taught her one thing: there existed nothing on Remnant that was more diverse than people.

That turned out to be quite an invaluable lesson now. If she wanted to test out Anesidora's capabilities – she didn't remember when she'd started doing it, but she'd taken to calling the camera Anesidora in her mind, and the name had stuck – people ought to be the best subjects for her to use.

Luckily, she knew a good place to go. There was a park just a couple blocks from her apartment, and on such a sunny Sunday afternoon, there was bound to be lots of people there. Crossing the street to get to the park, she was pleased to find she'd been right. There were people having picnics, parents taking walks with their children, teenagers hanging out…

It was such a happy scene, Velvet almost felt like joining in. But there was no time for that. She'd come here on serious business. _And_ … she would feel super awkward hanging out all by herself.

Putting on her photographer face, Velvet stopped at the outer limits of the park. She tapped her fingers against Anesidora for a moment, considering her options, before she decided to start things off by taking a simple of the park at large. She lifted the camera to her eyes and took a step back, making sure to get as many people in frame as possible, and…

 _Click_.

She stared at the picture she'd just taken, a listless look on her face. It was certainly a photo. The camera still worked. She didn't know what else she'd been expecting.

"Cool. I'm not crazy," Velvet muttered. "Unless I'm really, _really_ crazy."

She took aim again, and winced as sunlight hit her lens and caused a harsh glare. Velvet glared at the sky and discovered that a cloud that had been covering the sun just a few moments before had now moved out of the way. She would have to find shade elsewhere, much to her annoyance. Natural lighting was great and all, and Velvet was all for capturing beauty wherever she found it, but this was one bother she'd rather not have to deal with right now.

Velvet started to walk away, only to stop as, for just an instant, a prickling sensation ran down the back of her neck. Instinctively, she brought up Anesidora again, and her lips parted in awe as she watched the park darken through its lens. The sunlight was still there, subdued yet somehow as vivid as in real life.

A picture like that was impossible… Or at least that's what she used to believe. She wasn't sure what was possible and impossible anymore.

"You're magic," she whispered, holding Anesidora close to her chest. "You're _literally_ magic."

The fact that she'd woken up and just _found_ the perfect camera in her room, a piece of technology she would have paid an arm and a leg for, should have scared her. But instead, she couldn't help but be excited at the possibilities.

* * *

_Click._

_Click._

_Click. Click. Click._

_Click!_

Velvet smiled to herself. She'd never taken so many photos in one afternoon. Correction, she'd never taken so many _good_ photos in one afternoon. Good being an understatement. They were all excellent. Anesidora make sure of that. Of course, she still had to put in some work, choosing the right subjects and… being _willful_ … Even a magical camera couldn't make a picture of a random pebble into something special.

She stopped looking through her photos and got up from the bench she'd been sitting at, eager to take some last pictures while the day was still bright. She looked around herself for more subjects.

There was a man playing frisbee with his dog nearby. A very cute dog… Just like his owner. Velvet had been eyeing him discreetly for a while, before he apparently noticed it. He didn't appear offended or anything, but she was very embarrassed. It would definitely be weird if she started taking photos of him now…

Other options, then!

A little further away, under the shade of a tree, a boy and a girl around Velvet's age had just finished a picnic and were now getting up. Velvet had guessed before that they were on a first date, and by the looks of it, they were going to be having many others in the future. Maybe it was presumptuous of her to think that, but the way the boy was looking at the girl, it was obvious he was smitten.

Of course, that was by the girl's design. He couldn't tell it, but she was working her charms, looking up at him with a quirky smile and laughing eyes. She had one hand on her hip, ever so slightly cocked to the side, while the other hovered just an inch from his fingers…

Velvet pursed her lips and looked away. She _wished_ she was half as good with boys. Coco had attempted to coach her before, and quite extensively, to no avail. Velvet had tried to argue that maybe it was because Coco was trying to apply her expertise on the improper targets, but Coco had been very adamant that her technique worked on both girls _and_ boys, and that Velvet was simply a lost cause.

A lost cause? How dare Coco say something like that! She was probably right, of course, but that didn't give her the right to-

_Bonk!_

Velvet screamed as something hit the side of her head just above her ear. Groaning, she rubbed the aching spot and looked down to find a frisbee lying on the grass between her feet.

"Sorry!" a voice yelled. "I'm so sorry!"

Velvet looked up and panicked when she saw the man with the dog running towards her. Oh God, he was so fast – and he was right in front of her already, and so much taller up close!

"Are you okay?" he asked.

 _Tall handsome man!_ A voice screeched in her head. _Act cool! Act cool!_

"Y-yeah." Velvet lowered her hand and shook her head casually. "It was nothing. I was just scared a little bit."

"Are you sure?" the man frowned. "I didn't mean to throw it so hard. If I hurt you-"

"You didn't." Velvet pushed her hair behind her ear and leaned to the side to show him. "See? No bleeding or anything." She looked at him again and smiled. "Maybe you didn't throw so hard after all."

Seemingly relieved, the man bent down to pick up the frisbee, then smiled at her. "I'm glad." He looked back and nodded at his dog, which was wagging its tail as it waited for him to come back. "What if it was Thunder who missed and hit you, though? Would that make things less awkward?"

"Between you and me? Sure. But I don't know if I could be friends with him anymore," Velvet said. " _Especially_ if Thunder hit me on purpose just to find an excuse to run over and talk to me."

The man seemed shocked for a moment, but then his smile widened, and he nodded apologetically. "You've seen right through me. It's just that I saw you taking photos before, and I just…" He laughed nervously. "You have a presence. Do you maybe wanna have coffee with me?"

Velvet smiled. She had a presence, huh? She liked that!

Wait… what? What the hell had she just said? And when – why was her hand on her hip – and had she just been batting her eyelashes at him?

"Uh… A-actually," she said, her voice cracking. "I have… s-somewhere I have to be…"

"Oh. That's okay," he said, chuckling. "Don't worry, I'm not disappoint. It's not like I expect girls to go out with me after I throw a flying projectile at their heads."

"R-right!" Velvet laughed. "Because that would be insane! W-what kinda p-psycho does that, am I right?"

He stared at her blankly, and Velvet forced her lips shut and glared at her feet.

"Well, uh… I'm gonna get back to Thunder, then," the man said. "You wanna throw the frisbee to him while I run back?"

"Oh, I'm not sure I can do that…" Velvet said meekly. "I'm not good at throwing stuff…"

"It's easy, I promise. Just use your wrist."

Before she could argue, he handed over the frisbee and patted her hand, then ran back towards his dog. Velvet wanted to scream. Was he being nice to her after her blunder, or trying to get her to humiliate herself even further?

Either way, he deserved a frisbee to the back of his head. With that wishful thought of revenge, Velvet spread her feet apart and threw the frisbee.

A second later, Velvet covered her mouth and cringed as the man screamed and fell face-first into the grass. Thunder ran over and sniffed him, then looked up and started barking at Velvet.

"S-sorry!" Velvet shouted. "Uh… Bye!"

Eyes wide, she stuck her hands in her pockets and walked swiftly away.

* * *

"Hey, Velv!" Coco called as she closed the door behind her. "I'm back home! Sorry I'm late!"

She hung her keys beside the door and dropped her purse on the table, then walked over to the mirror and rubbed her lips with the back of her hands to try and get rid of the lipstick. She absolutely despised that color. God, the sacrifices she made to please people.

"Velvet?" she called again, worrying at the silence. "You home?"

She was about to start looking when Velvet came running into the living room, skidding across the floor with her socks, a radiant expression on her face. Coco blinked. She hadn't seen Velvet this happy since even before the incident with her camera.

"Coco!" Velvet exclaimed. "Guess what I can do!"

"…Make spaghetti that doesn't taste like crap?" Coco asked. "Please. We need help."

"No, but maybe soon," Velvet said. "Watch!" She raised her hands, showing that she was holding three apples in each.

"I'm very confused," Coco said.

" _Watch_!"

Velvet threw one apple up, then caught it again. She threw it again, and another from her other hand, and swapped hands to catch them. She looked at Coco and wiggled her eyebrows twice.

Coco crossed her arms. "You are actually starting to piss me off."

"Okay, okay, I'll get to the point!"

Before Coco's very eyes, Velvet threw all six apples up. Without breaking eye contact, she started to juggle them flawlessly, her lips slowly widening into a bigger and bigger smile.

"You learned how to juggle," Coco said dryly. "That's what so amazing you had to come running to tell me?"

"Yes!" Velvet said. "Look at me, I'm practically a professional!"

"Honestly? I don't even know what to say," Coco said. "Was this what you've been up to in your room all this time? Learning how to juggle?"

"Actually, I only watched a couple videos just before you got here. That's all it took!"

There was a drop of smugness in Velvet's voice, which was quite an odd thing to hear coming from her. That, coupled with the fact that she was _still_ juggling apples as they spoke, had Coco quite worried that something strange, and quite possibly bad, was going on.

"Alright. So you're a juggling prodigy," Coco said. "You're gonna use that to get money for your camera and phone? I hear street peddling is a very competitive business these days."

"That's funny." Velvet chuckled. "I don't need replacement money for my camera anymore. And this – this is just a fun experiment."

"An experiment in what, pissing me off?" Coco clenched her fists. "Velvet, I know you're having a rough time, and I've been very patient so far, but this is _not_ helping. You're ignoring-"

"Chill out, Coco. You don't need to worry anymore," Velvet said. "I've got everything under control. You'll see what I…"

Velvet trailed off, and Coco detected something change about her – her eyes, which had been so confidently following the flight of the apples an instant before, became unfocused and unsure. She reached out a hand, and missed catching an apple by a wide margin. The apple hit the floor and splattered across it. In the next two seconds, the remaining five apples suffered the same fate.

"Oh." Velvet looked down at her hands, furrowing her brow. "I think I ran out."

"Yeah, no shit." Coco looked at the floor and pinched her forehead. " _You_ are gonna clean this up."

"Yeah. Sure," Velvet said. "Just let me show you something first."

Velvet turned and walked back to her room, and Coco was too exasperated to follow her. Fortunately, she did not have to wait long, as Velvet soon returned… with a camera in her hands.

"Hi. So…" Velvet said awkwardly.

Coco blinked. "You got your camera back?"

"No. This isn't my old camera. It looks just like it, but it isn't," Velvet said. "This is Anesidora."

"Anesi- isn't that the place we went to yesterday?" Coco asked. "How did you get this camera, Velvet? You didn't… You didn't sell your stuff, did you?"

Velvet looked at the ceiling and bit her lip, as if contemplating how to best approach this conversation. Coco, for her part, was beyond confused, and if she didn't get an answer soon, she might just _snap_.

"So, here's what happened. Yesterday, we went to the Anesidora Ruins, and I went inside the temple, remember?" Velvet said. "What I _apparently_ didn't tell you is that something happened while I was in there. I, uh… F-fell into some weird place. Stuff happened. And then today, I found this in my room."

She offered the camera. Coco looked at it warily for a moment before taking it in her hands. She turned it over and around, but there seemed to be nothing special about it, except for it being exactly identical to Velvet's first camera.

"Are you playing an elaborate joke on me?" Coco asked, handing the camera back.

"No. I s-swear I'm telling you the truth, Coco," Velvet said. "It really happened that way. Anesidora called to me. I think it wanted me to find it. And now it's, well, it's mine." She paused. "It's pretty nifty, by the way. Magical and stuff."

" _Magical_?"

"Yeah. Watch." Velvet closed her eyes and raised her hand. "Print, please!"

The air above her hand shimmered, and a moment later, a photograph materialized in a blue glow and fell into her palm. Coco backed away, nearly tripping over herself in fright.

Okay. Velvet wasn't kidding.

Velvet wasn't kidding!

"What the _fuck_ ," Coco said. "You have a magical fucking camera."

"R-right. That was my reaction," Velvet said. "Just a bit less vulgar."

"Excuse me if I'm a little shocked!" Coco exclaimed. "What else does it do?"

"Well, as an actual camera, it's perfect. More than perfect. It's like it _knows_ how I want my pictures to be, and it _makes_ it possible. Easy, even," Velvet said.

"That's crazy," Coco said. Her eyes widened. "Can it shoot lasers?!"

Velvet looked down at the camera. "I haven't checked."

Coco shook her head in disbelief. She knew she'd be having a tough, honest conversation with Velvet today, but this was _far_ from how she had envisioned it going. She wasn't sure it was better, either.

Coco walked to the sofa and sat on its arm, feeling like she'd just run a marathon. Velvet accompanied her silently and sat down on the armchair by herself. She put the camera on her lap and traced her fingers across it, a look in her eyes as if she were looking at an old friend.

"This is insane," Coco said. "So, you're saying you just _found_ this in your room? It was just there? Are you sure you didn't bring it out of that temple with you?"

"Yes… No. I don't know," Velvet said, growing quieter. "Actually, I don't remember anything that happened after the temple. I went in, saw Anesidora… Then I woke up in my bed this morning."

"What? How can you not remember what happened?" Coco asked. "We spent six hours in that goddamn jungle. We had dinner at your favorite restaurant and… and everything."

Velvet shrugged helplessly. "I don't remember doing any of that."

Coco held her stomach. She was starting to feel sick. Nothing had seemed wrong with Velvet yesterday… Or had she missed something? Velvet might have acted a little withdrawn at times, but that was just normal Velvet, right?

"There's one more thing." Velvet stood up. "I think Anesidora made me magical too. I can… mimic stuff. People. That's how I was juggling those apples before. It's not like I actually _knew_ how I was doing it, I was just copying what I saw in the videos." She paused. "But I guess it's temporary, or else I could still be juggling."

"You're magical too?" Coco said. "You mean you have superpowers, like those Hunt chicks?"

"Like… Like a Huntress?" Velvet's face lit up with excitement. "Like Blake Belladonna?!"

"I'm more of a Nikos gal myself, but sure," Coco said.

"I'm like a superhero…" Velvet paced around the room, seemingly deep in thought. She stopped for a moment, her face hardening. "Do you know where Cardin lives?"

"Cardin Winchester? No," Coco said. "What does he have to do with anything?"

Velvet looked at her and smiled shakily. "N-nothing. I was just thinking about paying him back for bullying me all those years," she said. "I think he'd just beat me up again, though."

Coco raised an eyebrow. That was an interesting wish for Velvet to express now, of all times. Cardin had made her life hell, sure, especially before Coco had started looking out for her, but Velvet hadn't mentioned him once since they'd graduated.

"This is beyond insane. I don't have the words to describe how insane this situation is," Coco said, standing up. "You're okay, though? Aside from not remembering yesterday and becoming… whatever you are now. You're okay?"

"I'm fine. I feel… great," Velvet said. "It's like a whole new world has opened before my eyes. I can do anything I want. _Be_ anything I want." Her eyes wavered as she clutched Anesidora. "This can't be real. It's too good to be real."

"You're preaching to the choir," Coco said. "You could start by going back to work. Have you called your boss yet?"

"No. I'll do it later," Velvet said. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Coco echoed. She felt exhausted all of a sudden, and it wasn't even nighttime yet. "My head is spinning. I need a cool drink. Want one too?"

"No. I think I'll just go to my room for a bit," Velvet said. "Uhm… Sorry for dropping all of this on you."

Coco glared at her. "You wanna make it up to me? Watch some cooking tutorials."

Velvet nodded and left for her room. Coco watched her walk away, a growing worry gnawing at her tired mind.

Why couldn't she have a normal roommate?

* * *

Velvet shivered. She rubbed her arms, wishing she'd worn something thicker, but this was her only clean black shirt, and it was unfortunately sleeveless. She would have stuck out like a sore thumb if she'd worn anything else, though. Sacrifices must be made.

It was _definitely_ the cold that was making her shiver, not the fear that had taken hold of her guts when she'd left the apartment and had only grown since. It was only natural that she should be afraid. Who wouldn't be, in her position?

Despite the fear, she carried on, turning a corner and getting ever closer to her destination. Just two blocks now. Two blocks to the Winchester family home.

And there it was. Impossible to miss, the house was practically a mansion. Together with the grounds around it, it took up half the block. Velvet couldn't comprehend why one family needed this much living space, let alone a family with just one kid.

A kid that had grown to be a despicable human being and was now on the verge of becoming a serious criminal, if he wasn't one already. Someone who took joy in hurting people. Hurting _her_.

Velvet stopped beside the brick walls that surrounded the grounds and crouched low to the floor, dropping any pretense of not being scared out of her mind. What was she doing here? She should be in bed sleeping, happy that her luck had finally turned out. She should be making plans to get back to her old life, and using her new powers to learn how to cook, and be a confident speaker, and… and make crochet! Anything that wasn't _this_!

She grabbed Anesidora and pressed it against her forehead. Those were not her thoughts. They belonged to the old Velvet. She was more than that now. She was better.

Steeling herself, Velvet rose to her feet and looked up at the walls. It looked five meters tall at least, and the bricks were so smooth there was barely any spots for her to grab onto and climb. There were no electric wires at the top, which was good, but that probably meant there were strong security measures on the other side. But she would cross that bridge when she got to it.

Velvet took step back and rubbed her hands together, psyching herself up. She had spent hours watching footage to prepare herself, and she knew what she needed to do now. The only problem was, she hadn't tested out this particular stunt, and if she screwed up… She wasn't sure if her new powers had also made her body tougher, and this asphalt beneath her looked very unforgiving.

Oh, well. She'd been a prodigy at everything so far. Why should this be any different?

Velvet spread her feet apart and started running. She took a tiny hop, and when her feet hit the floor, she bent her knees… And sprung upward, soaring past the walls, surpassing even the Winchester mansion. The world became blur around her, yet somehow, she didn't at all feel disoriented.

Her momentum halted, and for a split second, she hovered high in the air. She turned her body around, and as she started to fall, she _scattered_ into a hundred chestnut petals that spun around each other like a miniature cyclone. They converged on top of the walls, and she reformed – back to Velvet, back to herself.

"H-holy sh-" Velvet cut her scream short, covering her mouth. "Oh my gosh…"

That had been _exhilarating_! No wonder Ruby Rose and the other Huntresses liked to show off so much. Not that Velvet was suddenly a Huntress.

A Huntress probably wouldn't trespass on private property.

Velvet looked down, wobbling a bit as she realized how far up she actually was. One false step and she would take a nasty plunge, and probably set off an alarm too when she hit the ground. She would have to make it to the house without hitting it. Good thing she was picking up so many new talents.

Doing the whole jump-fast-and-become-petals thing would be a little too noisy, and she didn't trust herself to not overshoot and make a wrong landing. Instead, with a moment of concentration and a flick of a wrist, Velvet summoned a glowing white disc – a glyph, was that the scientific term? – in front of her.

She stepped off the wall, dropping onto the glyph. A funny feeling raced from the tip of her toes up to her ankles, and she instinctively knew that she wouldn't fall from the construct unless she deliberately jumped off it.

With another gesture, she sent the glyph gliding forward. It swiftly crossed the air above the grounds, and within seconds she'd reached the top of the mansion. Velvet hopped off and rubbed her hands smugly, the glyph disappearing behind her.

Alright, she'd reached her destination. Now, to put her plan in motion…

Well, she didn't have a plan. Not a real one. What she had was a goal: to get evidence of Cardin's criminal activity and put a stop to it before he did any real harm. Except now she realized that while Cardin was arrogant and morally bankrupt, he wasn't dumb. Not completely, at least. He wasn't just going to leave evidence around for people to find.

Maybe she'd find something incriminating if she searched inside the house? But that sounded too risky, at least for now. Perhaps she could pull it off later, once she'd studied a few spy movies.

She supposed the only thing she could do for now was wait for an opportunity to present itself. Cardin had big plans, and sooner or later, he would have to expose himself and what he was doing. And when he did, Velvet would be there to catch him in the act. She had all the time in the world, not to mention nearly every resource, _and_ the will to carry out this mission.

So Velvet sat down on the edge of the roof, laid Anesidora on her lap, and began her wait.


	4. Passion

Laying on her back on the roof of the Winchester mansion, Velvet blew a strand of hair off her eyes and glared at the stars, half annoyed, half anxious as all hell.

When she had decided to stake out Cardin's home and end his crime career-to-be – a decision which had taken her many, _many_ days and nights to settle on, of course – she had never imagined it would have been so… boring.

Maybe boring wasn't the right word. The fear of being discovered and the consequences that might entail were always on the back of her mind, but after a week of watching and getting no leads at all, it was becoming difficult to focus on the task at hand.

At least she had Miss Peaches to keep her company. Velvet brought up her favorite stuffed bunny and held it above her head, staring at its cute little eyes, as if it could somehow sympathize with her situation.

She poked the bunny's nose, and as if to spite her, it disappeared in a flash of blue. Velvet leaned her head back and groaned. What great timing.

She'd made the discovery a couple days after Anesidora had appeared in her bedroom, during a night much like this one. As far as she understood, the camera had the ability to recreate any physical object it had taken a picture of. But just like Velvet's new powers, they lived on borrowed time, and once that limit was met, the photos were gone too.

Cool power, but also very frustrating. She'd quickly learned not to try and recreate any kind of food – her stomach still turned whenever she thought of that seemingly-delicious apple she had taken a bite of. Not only that, the possibilities had caused her many moments of existential dread. What if she tried to recreate a person, like Coco, or… herself…?

Nope. She wasn't going down that road again.

Velvet sat up. She needed to distract herself. One more minute of this and she'd go catatonic.

She crawled over to the edge of the roof and looked down, careful not to stand out too much against the night sky. As usual, Cardin and his buddies were down in his very large backyard, talking to each other in obnoxiously loud voices and doing… stupid rich boy things.

The things Velvet had heard come out of their mouths this last week alone. _Ugh_. She knew better than to make generalizations, but maybe Coco had a point when she said all men are scum.

Yet Velvet had to keep listening. She couldn't afford not to. What if Cardin said something important and she missed it? Like where he was keeping all his stolen weapons. If she could locate those, then she could find them and report them to the police, and be finished with these nightly bore marathons.

Until then… She supposed she would need to endure this a while more, for the greater good.

"- and she was like, _no way it's that big_ , and I said, _you sure about that_ , and BAM – and she went crazy, bro, she went crazy-"

"Niiiiiice-"

"That's our boy, that's our boy-"

"Yeeeeaah boiii-"

Velvet covered her ears and whimpered.

The greater good could spare her a night or two, couldn't it?

* * *

Coco set down her purse and glanced at the clock, humming quietly under her breath. Two o'clock in the morning. Uncharacteristically early for her to be turning in for the night, but she wasn't too bothered by it. It had been a productive night out, if nothing more.

She rolled her shoulders and picked up her purse, sighing as she thought of her bed in her room, when a noise from behind her startled her. Coco spun around just in time to see the living room's window slide open, and a lithe form roll through it and onto the floor.

Coco watched in astonishment as Velvet rose to her feet, a confident smile on her lips. She patted her knees and nodded to herself, before raising her head and meeting eyes with Coco.

Inside her mind, Coco heard the noise of a train flying off the rails and exploding into flames.

"…Hi," Velvet said.

Coco pointed a finger at the window. "Did you just…" She pointed at Velvet, then at the window, and back at Velvet.

"Y-yes…" Velvet said, her face resembling a tomato. "I can explain."

Coco waited patiently. Velvet did not explain herself further.

"We live on the seventh floor," Coco pointed out.

"Yes! But. I didn't climb all the way up here," Velvet said, spreading her hands genially. "I mostly used Schnee powers. And some parkour here and there."

Coco pinched her nose. Maybe she should arrange for Velvet's laptop to _mysteriously_ end up in the trash. And for the apartment wi-fi to stop working. Anything to restrict her access to the internet.

"Okay, look, I _can_ explain myself," Velvet said. "I don't like coming in through the lobby. The guards always look at me funny, and I feel all awkward and stuff!"

Coco raised an eyebrow. "Good thing we circumvented that problem, then."

"My plan would have worked perfectly if you weren't home so early." Velvet crossed her arms. "It's your fault, really."

Coco shook her head, deciding to end this conversation before Velvet dug herself in too deep. Although, window shenanigans aside, Velvet's appearance did bring up a lot of questions.

"What were you even doing out so late?" Coco asked.

"Oh. I was… taking photos." Velvet grabbed Anesidora and shook it in front of her. "I guess I got a bit carried away."

"A bit, you say."

Coco supposed she could buy that explanation. Velvet wasn't one to forget herself too often, but she'd been positively over the moon about her new, creepy camera, and photography _was_ her passion.

"Have you talked to Mister Ooblong about coming back to work yet?" Coco asked.

"His name's Oobleck, Coco," Velvet said, and Coco delighted in the dismay in her voice. "And no, I haven't yet."

"Well, you should," Coco said. "You could probably get a big raise, putting that fancy alien camera of yours to use."

"You think so?" Velvet looked down at Anesidora. "I'll go see him at the paper tomorrow. I do kinda miss work…"

Coco rolled her eyes. Velvet acted like such a nerd sometimes.

"A-anyway. What about you?" Velvet said, perking up. "Did you have fun hanging out with Dew?"

Coco blinked. "Who said anything about Dew?"

"Oh." Velvet's ears shot straight up, then quickly folded into her chestnut hair. "Not you, apparently?"

"Yeah." Coco glared at Velvet suspiciously. If she didn't know any better, she would say she was being stalked. "Why would you think I was hanging out with Dew?"

"Uhm… No reason, I guess," Velvet said, looking away. "But you _were_ hanging out with her?"

Coco pursed her lips. Somehow, this conversation was even worse than that other one. She probably felt that way because it was her that was digging herself into a hole now.

And as if she wasn't uncomfortable enough already, now she saw Velvet was… smirking, with a glint of _something_ in her eyes. Confidence. Like she knew something she wasn't supposed to, and she was damn proud of it.

"I…" Coco started to speak, but found herself lost for words. Well _that_ was quite a reversal. "It… doesn't matter to you!" She hung her purse over her shoulder and raised her chin dramatically. "I'm going to bed!"

"Oh, okay, then," Velvet said, stifling giggles. "Good night to you."

Coco stomped away, not dignifying Velvet with a response. Honestly, the gall of that girl!

* * *

Push. Twist. Press. Release…

 _Click_.

With a simple nudge of her foot, the door opened before Velvet. She brought her hairpin up to her eyes and smiled, then put it back inside her pocket. You really could learn anything on the Internet!

"Bad on you for reinforcing negative stereotypes, Velv," she whispered. "But otherwise, good job."

She walked inside and quietly pushed the door back behind her, leaving it open just a smidge in case she needed to make a hasty exit, then looked around at the garage before her. As expected of the Winchesters, it was obscenely spacious. They had not one, not two, but _three_ boats suspended from the ceiling, for crying out loud. If Cardin was hiding his stolen goods anywhere in the family grounds, this had to be the place.

Velvet looked around the garage, and as she took in the mountains of boxes and forgotten items, the absurdity of her situation set in heavily. Never in her life had she thought she would one day invade someone else's home, let alone Cardin Winchester's, to search for evidence of criminal activity. Just the thought of doing a presentation for class used to terrify her. Hell, it still did a little. And yet here she was, doing something considerably more stressful.

Or dangerous. Yes, that was a more appropriate description of what she was up to these days.

Regardless, she couldn't let fear paralyze her. She was adamant to stop Cardin, and if that meant stepping outside of her comfort zone – which she had already done plenty of so far – then so be it. It would all be worth it when that jerk and all his friends were put behind bars.

Velvet took out her new phone, which she'd bought with money earned from online poker – she was being very responsible with her powers – and looked at the time. It was a little past three in the afternoon, which meant Cardin was doing his daily going to the gym and ogling the female clientele instead of actually working out routine. Afterwards, he would probably pass by Russel's place or something. That gave Velvet plenty of time to look around undeterred.

She stared at her phone a moment more, guilt rearing its head as she remembered she should be somewhere else entirely. She was supposed to be talking to Mr. Oobleck right now, and at this point, probably starting her first day back to work. She had told Coco so, after all, and she had actually meant to do it…

But stopping Cardin was more important. It felt so, at least. She could see Mr. Oobleck once she was finished with all this business.

"Welp," she said, putting her phone away and looking around once more. "Better get looking."

* * *

Velvet stepped back, her lips sealed in a frustrated scowl. How could it be that she had found nothing? Nothing, not even a clue of where the weapons might be, if they weren't in the mansion. The Winchesters had such a large garage, and all they stored inside it was useless garbage.

She rubbed her forehead. If Cardin wasn't hiding the weapons here, then where else could he have taken them? She recalled the truck he'd been transporting some of them around the night she'd inadvertently spied on him, but she hadn't heard anything about it since then. It was as if it didn't even exist.

This was hopeless. Futile. Cardin had every resource money could afford him, and all she had was a camera and a bunch of powers she didn't even comprehend. Despite everything, he still had the upper hand.

Perhaps she'd been foolish to think she could take him down all by herself. No, she definitely had been. And she'd put people in danger, too, not notifying the proper authorities right away. It might be time to do that, finally.

But if she told Beacon, and they investigated Cardin and didn't find anything, he would know for sure that she had been the one to rat him out. And then he would go after Coco, who had nothing to do with any of this. She couldn't risk putting Coco in danger…

Except, she could? Velvet looked down at Anesidora, then at her hands. She'd been powerless to stop Cardin from hurting her during school, but now things were different. If he came after her and Coco looking to hurt them, she could fight back and hurt _him_. Because if she wasn't just herself anymore.

She was so much more.

"-think it's in there, come on."

Velvet turned around in terror, her ears shooting right up as she heard someone approaching the garage outside. The door was on the other side of the garage, while the only other way out led into the mansion proper, which she had no idea how to navigate. She could get lost and stumble into someone.

Whoever was coming, they were getting close fast. Velvet looked around frantically, searching for a place to hide, and her eyes wandered up… The boats!

_Don't fail me now, parkour tutorials!_

She turned around and ran at the wall, jumping and kicking off it to grab one of the many racks that occupied the walls of the garage. She pulled herself to the top of it and turned towards the boats, bended at the knees, and _jumped_. She barely cleared the air between the shelf and the nearest boat. Her fingers found the railings, and she pulled herself up and fell on her back, breathing heavily.

"He just kinda described how it looks. I barely know what he was talking about," Dove Bronzewing's familiar voice reached her from below. "But you know how Cardin is. I'd rather do whatever dumb thing he wants than listen to him whine at me for a week because I didn't do it."

"Yeah. I get what you mean. He can be a real grump sometimes," Sky Lark responded. "Ah, man. Look at this. How are we gonna find a stupid whatever-hook-thing in the middle of all this crap?"

"Beats me. It's supposed to be sharp, so I guess you could stick your hand in there until it starts bleeding. Then you'll have found it," Dove snarked. "Kinda like a needle in a haystack thing, get it?"

"You're not funny. I don't know why we keep you around."

"Buddy, if the bar for belonging in our little group is a good sense of humor, then I don't know why you're here either."

Velvet got on her knees and carefully looked over the edge of the boat. Dove and Sky were dangerously near her on the floor, though luckily they had no reason to look up at the boats and find her. Sky was shuffling through a pile of boxes, opening them one by one and looking through their contents, while Dove watched him with an impatient expression on his face.

What were they looking for? Some kind of… hook, was that what Sky had said, and Cardin had asked them to find it for him? These guys just got weirder and weirder.

A quiet buzzing filled the air, and Velvet frowned in confusion as she looked around for its source… until she noticed it was coming from her phone in her pants, and she nearly jumped out of her own skin. She pressed herself to the floor of the boat, hiding her head just as Dove looked up, and swiped desperately at the screen, not caring to see whose call she was rejecting.

"Did you hear that?" Dove asked.

"Hear what?" Sky replied distractedly.

"I don't know," Dove said. "A cellphone, I think."

"Oh, that was mine, sorry. Here, I'll turn it off for now," Sky said. "I've been getting these weird e-mails about, uhm… Stuff, and they've been pestering me all week."

"Dude, please don't tell me you clicked one of _those_ e-mails. You didn't _reply_ to them, did you?"

"I – Look, man, let's just focus on the task at hand! Help me out, and we can be outta here faster, how about it?"

Dove groaned, and a moment later, Velvet heard him join Sky in searching the boxes.

Barely a minute passed before Dove spoke again. "Here it is. Who would have guessed, I look for a second, and find the thing right away, while you…"

"Shut up! You know I looked through half this stuff already!"

"Pfft. Sore loser."

Velvet dared to look again and saw Dove standing with a metal hook in his hands, around the size of his head – and probably about as dense, too.

"Oh, I get it now," Sky said, standing up. "It's a tow hook, for cars and stuff. Why didn't Cardin just say that?"

"I dunno. He's probably never seen one used before?" Dove shrugged. "Well, he wanted it and now he'll have it, and we won't have to hear him whine. Everyone wins."

"To good business!" Sky exclaimed, raising his hand for a fist bump.

Dove ignored him flatly and exited the garage. Sky followed him a moment later, a disappointed look on his face.

Velvet waited for the door to close before standing up fully. She jumped to the floor, softening her fall with a quick glyph, and stared pensively at the box Dove and Sky had left empty.

Cardin wanted a tow hook… Could that mean he was going to transported something, and that _something_ was a large arsenal of illegally obtained, highly destructive Dust firearms and explosives?

Perhaps. Or perhaps she was having a major case of confirmation bias. Either way, it was getting late, and she needed to get out of here before someone else came along and found her.

* * *

"Hello, hello," Velvet said sheepishly, closing the door of the apartment with a nudge of her hip. "I'm home. With… pizza."

She set the box down on the table and looked at Coco expectantly as she got off the sofa and walked over to her.

"Pizza." Coco appraised the box, completely unimpressed. "And you thought to bring pizza because…?"

"Because, I, uh…" _Needed an excuse why I was out so late and I don't function well under pressure so I got pizza_. "…I like pizza, and you like pizza. So pizza is, well, a thing we can eat. Especially when we are hungry." She gulped, and pushed the box closer to Coco. "Unless you're not hungry but you still wanna eat, in which case I won't stop you, and I won't even eat if you want it all for yourself."

Coco closed her eyes for a moment, and Velvet could _feel_ the disappointment radiating off of her. "I was expecting a simpler answer, but thank you," she said. "We can eat later."

She returned to the sofa and turned up the volume of TV. Velvet let out a sigh of relief. Good, Coco had bought her lie. For once, Velvet's sheer social incompetence had worked in her favor. Take that, well-regulated people of the world!

Velvet picked up the pizza box and started happily strolling to the kitchen.

"So, did you talk to your boss?" Coco asked.

Velvet tripped over her foot and nearly dropped the box. She had been so busy thinking up an excuse why she'd been so late, she had forgotten to think up another to explain why she'd been out in the first place and not back to work!

"I, uh… couldn't today!" Velvet exclaimed. "Paper was busy!"

She hopped over to the kitchen and dropped the box there, then hung near the doorway for a moment, grinding her teeth as she cringed viscerally.

"The paper was busy?" Coco repeated slowly, and it was more than clear that she didn't believe a word Velvet had said.

"Y-yeah…" Velvet walked, or more accurately, dragged her feet over to the living room and the sofa. "It was a crazy day, I guess. But Mr. Oobleck said we can talk, uh, tomorrow. For sure!"

If Coco had been wearing her signature shades, she'd have lowered them right then and there and given Velvet the most piercing look ever. As it was, Velvet had to contend with the piercing look only.

"Good," Coco said simply, and turned her attention to the TV.

Velvet sat down beside Coco and tapped her fingers awkwardly on her lap. God, she had really screwed up this time, hadn't she? But it wasn't like she could tell Coco what she was actually doing.

"So…" Velvet said, trying to cut through the tension. "Do you have any plans for tonight?"

Coco's jaw tensed, her eyes never leaving the TV. "Do _you_?"

Velvet flinched, and Coco's face softened a bit.

"Yeah, I'm going out tonight," she said. "Just the usual stuff. You know, some dancing, some drinking."

"Ah. Sounds… nice," Velvet said. "Are you going with… people?"

Coco crossed her arms. "I am."

"People, as in… Dew?" Velvet asked, rubbing her index fingers together.

"Yes. Dew Gayl, just as you guessed." Coco rolled her eyes. "How very astute of you, Detective Scarlatina."

Velvet nodded. Every time she mentioned Dew, Coco would get defensive, and Velvet was pretty sure she knew why. Maybe there was a way she could help Coco out with that, and make up for all the lies she'd been keeping from her lately.

"Do you think I could go with you tonight?" Velvet asked.

Coco jerked forward on the sofa. If she'd been drinking something, it would have been all over the carpet now.

"Are you serious?" Coco asked. "You wanna come with me. You understand that I'm going to a night club, right?"

"Yes, Coco, I got that!" Velvet said. "Why are you reacting this way? Aren't you the one who's always trying to drag me out of the apartment?"

"Yes, but you don't exactly have a good track record, Velvet," Coco said. She looked at Anesidora, hanging from Velvet's neck, and pointed accusingly at it. "You're not being possessed by that thing, are you?"

"No!" Velvet scowled. "Is it so hard to believe that I want to do something, you know, _something_ , for once? Maybe I'm trying to break out of my s-shell, or something. Maybe I'm tired of being a… a total recluse." She crossed her arms. "Have you ever considered _that_ , huh?"

Coco stared at her, amused at the same time as she was concerned. "If you say you want to come, then I won't stop you. But don't expect me to drop everything when – if you wanna come back home."

"I _won't_ do that. I'll stay as long as you stay."

Coco shrugged, conceding the conversation to Velvet, even if she seemed entirely unconvinced. Frustrated, Velvet shut off the TV and stood up.

"Alright now," she said. "Time for you to glam me up!"

"Glam you up?" Coco blinked. "Really, do you want that?"

"Yes. Make me… pretty and stuff. Do whatever it is that you party girls do." Velvet nodded solemnly. "Make me a whole new Velvet."

Coco's face lit up like a lighthouse. Velvet immediately regretted her decision.

* * *

"Well, this isn't so bad," Velvet said. "Kinda nice, actually. As far as nightclubs go."

"Yes, because you are an expert when it comes to those," Coco said. "Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?"

"It _is_ nice. Look at all these people having… fun, and… stuff."

Velvet tilted her head a little, observing the interior of the nightclub from near the entrance. It was the same place from Dew's birthday, but this time there were considerably less people there, or at least it appeared so to Velvet. The music wasn't nearly as unpleasant this time, either.

"Okay. I'm glad you're open to new experiences," Coco said, lifting her hands above her shoulders. "So far, at least." She threw a sideways glance at Velvet, then began to walk ahead. "Come on, let's find Princess Nice."

Velvet followed Coco, staying close to her so as to not risk losing her in the crowd. She blushed a little as she brushed against people along the way, and even more when some of them looked at her with clear appreciation in her eyes. Velvet wasn't a complete stranger to people checking her out, but it had been a rare occurrence in her life, and she had never felt like it was deserved.

But tonight she felt differently. After the makeover Coco had put her through, she definitely deserved the attention. It gave her _confidence_.

That, and maybe she was mimicking Coco, just a little bit.

"This way." Coco stopped for a moment and grabbed Velvet's wrist, then cut a path through the crowd. They went up a couple steps and arrived at an area next to a bar, which oddly enough was less busy than the rest of the club.

"Where's Dew?" Velvet asked. "Aren't we supposed to be meeting her here?"

"She texted me just before we entered," Coco said. "She'll be here any moment, don't you worry."

Velvet looked around. Since there were less people in the vicinity, and the area was a little elevated, she had a much clearer of the entirety of the club than she'd had from the entrance. She could see a stage at the back of the club, something she hadn't noticed during her previous visit. There were a handful people on it setting up instruments.

"Oh, I didn't know they had live music here," Velvet said. "That's cool."

"You would have known if you had stayed for more than an hour any of the five times I brought you here," Coco noted. "Or, now that I think about it, if I had told you."

Velvet nodded. She wasn't a fan of the electronic music the club seemed to favor, but the band currently setting up looked fairly traditional. "Do you know those guys, Coco?"

"Yes, and they're rubbish," Coco said. "They only do cover songs, which is fine, but I've yet to hear one song they haven't butchered. I once heard them play _Wonderwall_ , and even that they made worse, somehow."

"I like _Wonderwall_ ," Velvet said. "What's so wrong with it?"

Coco took a deep breath, and Velvet knew she'd accidently provoked her to go into a rant. Coco rants were often very particular, and most of all, _brutally_ honest.

"Let me put this in terms you'll understand. Say you take a photo of a rock you picked out in your garden," Coco stated. "Say you then publish said photo of a rock. People like it. They love it. It becomes a worldwide craze. Before you know it, every amateur photographer in the world is taking and publishing pictures of rocks they picked out of _their_ garden, and they think they're hot shit now. Do you get where I'm going?"

"I think so…?" Velvet said. The likelihood of Coco stopping her rant was null, regardless of her answer.

"It's just rocks, Velvet! Just rocks! The photo wasn't special in the first place, and every chance it had of possibly being good was ruined by all the other idiots afterwards!" Coco exclaimed. "That's _Wonderwall_ , Velvet. It sucks, and I fuckin' hate it."

"Alrighty, then. Now I know," Velvet said. She didn't know if she agreed with Coco's _opinion_ about the song, but the ferocity of her explanation was enough to convince her to be on her side in this. "I promise never to bring it up again."

Coco looked at her approvingly, and suddenly jumped a little as her eyes wandered past Velvet. Velvet looked over her shoulder and spotted Dew maneuvering through the crowd to get to them.

"There she is!" Velvet said excitedly, and leaned over to Coco. "Act natural!"

Coco looked at her like she was an alien, which Velvet felt was very earned, all things considered.

"Hey!" Dew called, hopping up the steps to get to the bar. "Velvet! It's so nice to see you again!"

Before Velvet even knew what was happening, she was pulled into a hug and received a kiss on each cheek. Dew then took a small step back and smiled brightly at her, her hands clasped gracefully at her waist.

"H-hello!" Velvet said, her voice breaking. She shook her head and looked at Coco, reminding herself to mimic her confidence for a moment, if only to power through this greeting. "I-it's s-s-so nice to-"

She stopped herself, closed her eyes for a moment, then looked at Coco again. She _was_ mimicking Coco already! Which meant…

 _Well that's one theory confirmed_.

Velvet shut off her powers and conjured up a wide smile. "Sorry about that! It's nice to see you too, Dew," she said. "Uhm, sorry for… err, slipping away at your birthday." She wasn't sure how much Coco had told Dew, if anything.

"Oh, please, don't apologize. I wasn't bothered at all," Dew said warmly. "I only wish we could have talked a bit more, but if you had to leave, then that's okay! And hey, we can make up for lost time tonight, so everything works out in the end."

"I guess it does, yeah!" Velvet said. Dew really _was_ lovely. Velvet could see why Coco would hate her so much.

Except she didn't, of course, which was exactly the reason Velvet had come here in the first place.

"Hey, Coco," Dew said, giving Coco her own hug and kisses. Velvet noted that Coco remained stoic through it all. "You look fabulous tonight!"

"Thanks, you too," Coco said, adjusting her dress. "Drinks?"

"You haven't had any yet?" Dew asked.

"I was waiting for you," Coco said. "And Velvet doesn't drink."

"What are you talking about? I totally do drink!" Velvet said, puffing up her chest. She quickly noticed that had a very different effect in her current attire than what she was going for, and settled down, clearing her throat. "I mean, uh, first time for everything, right?"

Coco raised an eyebrow at Velvet, then looked at Dew. "She's adorable, isn't she?" she said dryly, then turned around. "Come on, let's find us some seats."

* * *

Beer was okay. Velvet had tasted worse before, and she'd definitely tasted better. Overall, it was a pass for her, but since the situation called for it…

"And that's why white balance is really, really important to get right, and you need to understand it, or else you're gonna spend months taking photos and they'll all be bad and you'll want to jump off a bridge when you look at them again five years later, and it's really, really important!"

Velvet wiped her upper lip with the back of her hand and set her glass down on her knee. She started to lean to the side, wobbling in her seat for a moment before Dew corrected her with a gentle push.

"That's really fascinating, Velvet," Dew said. "I never knew there were so many moving parts to photography, and how complicated they can be. I thought all it took was pointing and shooting the photo, then you fix it in post."

"Amateur misunderstanding! You can't just point at stuff and get perfect pictures," Velvet said. "Unless you have a magical camera, that is." She snorted. "But who's got one of those, right?!"

Dew giggled, then looked around. Coco had excused herself to the bathroom a couple minutes ago, leaving Velvet and Dew to talk alone at their table.

A clarity of mind struck Velvet suddenly, and she realized it might not have been a couple minutes, but more like ten. And she'd been talking throughout all of them. Nonstop. About cameras.

"Oh, God," she mumbled, then looked at Dew. "I-I'm sorry. I was just droning on and on, wasn't I? You were probably bored out of your mind!"

"I really wasn't, Velvet! I find photography really interesting, and I've been wanting to learn more about it, since it's kinda related to what I do with fashion and modeling," Dew said. "Plus, it's actually really nice to hear someone talk that's so passionate about what they do. You'd be surprised how rare that is in people these days."

Velvet shrugged. "People are busy with stuff, I guess. Important stuff."

"Passion is important," Dew said. She leaned her head on her hands, a quiet sigh leaving her lips. "You can get so lost in life sometimes, it's easy to lose track of the things you actually care about. I think a person that doesn't follow their passion, or that has no passion at all, is the saddest thing in the world."

Velvet spun her glass in her hands for a moment, before putting it down on the table and pushing it away. The weightlessness around her neck was very noticeable all of a sudden. Coco had convinced her to leave Anesidora back home, and the worst thing was, it hadn't taken that much arguing.

Leaving home without her camera used to be an unfathomable act to her. If she was outside, she was taking photos, even if that wasn't the reason she'd left home. When had been the last time she'd taken a photo recently that wasn't to use her powers or track Cardin's day-to-day activities?

"Yikes. Look at me, bringing the mood down!" Dew said, clapping her hands. "Anyway, I think what you do is incredible, Velvet, and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Thanks, Dew," Velvet said. "Uhm… What's _your_ passion, then?"

"Aside from fashion and modeling? I really like gardening, though I haven't had time to maintain anything big since I started university a few years back," Dew said. Her eyes wandered away from Velvet, though they never lost their intensity. "And there's one other thing, but… I'm not sure which direction it's going, so I'm taking it slow for now."

Velvet's ears perked up with interest, but she willed them back down swiftly before Dew took notice.

"That's a good strategy," Velvet said, then paused to think. "Although, it can be a bit risky. You never know if you're gonna lose an opportunity forever." She grinned. "Not that I have any idea what you're talking about."

Dew smiled. "You're really nice, Velvet. And clever, not to mention funny," she said. "I can see why Coco talks about you so much."

"Coco talks about me?" Velvet asked. Perhaps she shouldn't be surprised - they were roommates, after all – but it was strange to know that other people who she'd barely met knew about her.

"All the time! You know how she is; she acts all tough and snarky, but its just a façade. She absolutely adores you. Sometimes it feels like every other thing she says is about you somehow," Dew said. "For a while, I was worried you two might be dating. But now I know better!"

Velvet sunk in her seat, feeling her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Dew laughed at her and took a sip of her own glass.

"W-well, I've never heard _that_ before. I mean, Coco jokes around and stuff, but it's never serious. She's like a sister to me," Velvet said. She frowned. "Wait, you were _worried_?"

Dew stared at her in puzzlement for a moment, before she flushed and put her glass down in haste. "Sorry, that came out wrong! It wasn't like…" She trailed off, her natural positivity overwhelmed by distress. "Oh God, that came out _really_ wrong, didn't it?"

"I think so, maybe?" Velvet said. "We're probably on different wavelengths here. What do you mean, you were worried?"

Dew took a deep breath, then finished the rest of her glass and put it down. "I'm interested in her," she said. "Romantically, I mean."

"Ah. That's what I thought," Velvet said. "T-that's alright. You don't have to freak out."

Dew sighed in relief, her expression lightening, though there remained a redness to her cheeks, and it wasn't due to the alcohol. "Thanks for understanding, Velvet. I didn't mean to dump this on you. And, well, you never know how someone will take that sort of thing." She smiled slightly. "Though I figured you were cool, since you're Coco's best friend."

Velvet looked around. She kinda needed to not be tipsy for this kind of talk. She couldn't make herself instantly sober, sadly, but there was nothing stopping her from mimicking someone who _was_ sober.

"Alright. Here's the thing," she said, leaning over to Dew. "Coco… totally has a crush on you too."

Dew blinked. "Does she, really?" Velvet nodded enthusiastically, but that only seemed to further Dew's suspicion. "Are you absolutely sure about that, Velvet? You're not just imagining things?"

"No. I am one hundred percent sure that Coco really, really likes you," Velvet said. "Trust me, I know her better than anyone, and the signs are all there. That thing you said about her keeping up a façade? Well, she does that when she talks about you, except she's really bad at it."

"I would have never guessed…" Dew said. "I mean, I _hoped_ she liked me, but I thought she tolerated me at best. This is great news! Although it does bring up the question of why she hasn't asked me out. I've thrown her more than a few hints that I'm interested in her, and she doesn't seem the type to miss that type of thing."

"Well, according to Coco, you love absolutely everyone. So maybe she thinks you're treating her like you treat everyone else," Velvet said.

"I do treat her like I treat everyone else! It's the decent thing to do!" Dew protested. "Aside from a few extra perks just for her, I suppose. Which she hasn't noticed, apparently."

"You're gonna have to be more direct with her," Velvet said. "Ask her out."

"Me, ask her out?" Dew's face paled. "I've always been the one to be asked out. But… If she won't, then I guess I'll have to."

"It's like you said. Follow your passion."

Dew gazed at Velvet, appearing to be in a bit of a daze, though it wasn't a bad one at all. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, as if beginning to formulate a plan, and Velvet allowed herself to relax. The effects of the beer trickled back in gradually, and suddenly she felt very out of place.

Wow, she really had had that talk with Dew, and given her all that advice, _and_ she'd not been a blubbering mess throughout it all. Amazing.

"Has she had any girlfriends before?" Dew asked.

"Yes. No." Velvet rubbed her eyes. "Uhm, I'm not sure girlfriends is the right word? She's never been that… close with anyone before."

"Oh. But you think it's different with me?" Dew said. "I wanna make sure I don't make a mistake and hurt her- Here she comes. Act natural!"

Velvet jumped up in her seat, startled. That was her line!

Coco arrived at their table and sat down. She looked from Velvet to Dew, a suspicious glint in her eyes. "What were you two talking about?"

"Photography," Dew said, smiling at Velvet.

"Ah, damn. I'm so sorry, Gayl." Coco shook her head sadly. "I should have known better than to leave you alone with her."

"Don't worry about it, Coco. It was an _enlightening_ conversation," Dew said, then mimicked taking a photo. "Get it? It's a flash pun!"

Velvet gawked at Dew. "Oh my God. You're perfect."

Coco glared at Velvet, almost like she was telling her to get in line. Velvet, who had never had any intention to skip any line, quietly acquiesced.

"By the way, the band started playing while you were gone," Dew said. "I think they've gotten better, don't you agree?"

"They haven't gotten _worse_ ," Coco answered.

The music stopped for a moment as the band finished their song and prepared for the next one.

"Oh! Is that…" Dew looked at the stage. " _Wonderwall_?"

"Yes, it is…" Coco said, and added something under her breath that had Velvet glad she was the only rabbit faunus in their immediate circle.

"I _adore_ _Wonderwall_!" Dew exclaimed, and turned to look at Coco in excitement. "Isn't it lovely, Coco?"

In an instant, Coco's entire demeanor changed, as she perked up and returned Dew's unbridled joy with a smile of her own. "Do I love it? It's one of my favorites!"

Velvet grabbed her glass and swiftly took a sip to contain her laughter.

* * *

Somehow, she really couldn't remember how and when she'd gotten there, Velvet found herself on the dancefloor. If Coco and Dew had accompanied her, they were nowhere to be seen now, but she still had plenty of partners to dance with.

And dance she did.

Her body was moving in ways it never had before, motions so strange to her they had no presence in her mind, yet they all felt as natural to her as breathing and walking and taking a photo.

The music flowed through her, the music and the energy of everyone around her, and she lost herself in all of it, becoming like a cheetah on the plains – like a highway star – and her blood was on fire as it pumped through her veins – she was going into overdrive, into a breakneck speed – her heart electrifying – as her feet left the floor, and she _jumped_ -

Eternities later, the world slowed down to a crawl, and Velvet limped off the dancefloor to lean against a support pillar, her breathing still accelerated. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, trying to displace some of the hair that was plastered to it. She had never felt so tired before. She had never felt so alive, either.

As good as she felt, though, she wouldn't be able to stand up much longer. She ought to find Coco and get somewhere to rest. Maybe home. But she didn't _want_ to go home. What a novel concept.

It was as she scanned the nightclub in search of Coco that she spotted Cardin Winchester.

He was in a far corner of the club where the light barely reached, one foot up on a chair while he leaned on his knee, a smile on his lips that indicated he'd had more than a few bottles tonight. Sitting close to him was a girl younger than him – considerably younger, Velvet wouldn't be surprised to find she was still in high school – though it was obvious she wasn't staying close to him by choice. Her eyes were darting around constantly, as if trying to find a way out, but there was none.

Of course, Cardin's friends were with him. Velvet felt a shiver run down her back. They were like a pack of hyenas, spread out in a circle around the girl, their eyes not leaving her for a second.

Velvet swallowed dry. Someone was going to do something about this, right? The people nearby had also noticed and were clearly uncomfortable too, shooting nervous looks at Cardin and the girl. Yet no one was making a move. They knew who Cardin was, and they were scared of him. Scared enough to let him do whatever he wanted to a scared, vulnerable girl.

Velvet forced herself to look away. Cardin was going to get his due soon. She had made her decision. She was going to call Beacon tomorrow, and they would investigate him and find out about the weapons and…

And it wouldn't be soon enough.

Velvet pushed herself off the pillar, sobering herself partially thanks to an unseen person in the crowd, and marched towards the table. People's eyes widened as they realized she was going straight for Cardin, their conversations dying when she stopped behind him.

"Hey," she spoke. The ire in her voice would have surprised her, but she barely even noticed it. "Winchester."

Cardin turned around, taking his foot off the chair, and shock spread across his face as he saw her. " _Velvet_?" he slurred. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"Stopping you from preying on little girls," Velvet said.

For a moment, Cardin simply stared at her with his jaw dropped. When the shock subsided, he shook his head and took a couple clumsy steps back to touch the scared girl's shoulder.

"Preying on little – what are you going on about?" He blew air out of his nose and shook the girl's shoulder. "We're just having an innocent conversation. Or we _were_ having one, until you so rudely _interrupted_ us." He nudged the girl with his elbow. "Right? We're having fun!"

The girl recoiled lightly at his touch. She looked up at Velvet, begging for help.

"You're not having a conversation," Velvet said firmly. "You're making her uncomfortable and you know it. Everyone can see it. Let her go."

Cardin's smile faded, and he stepped close to Velvet, looking her eye-to-eye, so close she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"I don't know what the hell got into you, freak, but you don't talk to me that way," he said. "Did you miss the memo? You don't look at me. You don't _speak_ to me. And you _don't_ stop me from doing anything." He snarled, raising a hand. "If I want to talk to a girl, I talk to a girl." His hand moved towards her chest. "If I want to touch a girl-"

Velvet grabbed his wrist and twisted it.

Cardin's yell reverberated throughout the club. The music came to an abrupt halt, raising a wave of complaints before people noticed an altercation was happening and started to gather to watch it.

Cardin stumbled away from Velvet and leaned on a table with his elbow. He looked at his hand, his eyes brimming with tears, then glared furiously at her.

"You bitch!" he shouted. "You broke my – my fucking hand!"

"It was just your wrist, you big baby." Velvet smiled. "Aw, does it hurt? Do you need a tissue?"

Cardin yelled, and his friends started closing in on Velvet. She closed her fists, a bunch of self-defense videos she'd watched blurring together in her mind, and waited for them to be in reach.

She was turning her fist towards Sky when a bouncer came through the crowd and put himself between her and the boys. "What the hell is going on here?"

"She attacked me!" Cardin wailed, shaking his hand.

" _I_ attacked _you_? You tried to grope me, you – you p-pig!" Velvet yelled. "He and his friends were harassing-" She whirled around, but the girl was gone. "There was a – a girl, and they were…"

The bouncer gave her a sympathetic look, then looked around at the crowd. "Did anyone see what happened?"

A few people mumbled unintelligibly, but for the most part, they dragged their feet and looked away from the scene. Velvet's heart dropped.

"See? She's just crazy," Cardin said. "She should be locked up or something."

"I – how – h-how dare you!" Velvet stepped towards him. "You're the one – Just you wait, you're going down, you little-"

"Alright now." The bouncer grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "You need to go outside, miss."

Velvet stopped, too flustered to even speak. Cardin stared at her, a vicious smile splitting his lips. _You really wanna mess with me?_

"Miss," the bouncer spoke again, trying to draw her attention. "You can come willingly. Please."

"Wait!"

Coco's voice came from the crowd, and she appeared a moment later, followed by Dew. She stopped beside Velvet and wrapped an arm around her waist, nudging her away from the scene.

"I'm sorry, she's a rowdy drunk," Coco said to the bouncer.

"I'm not _drunk_!" Velvet exclaimed.

"Don't argue, honeybuns," Coco whispered. "We'll take care of her!"

She led Velvet away, the crowd parting to make a path as they passed. Velvet bit her lip, tears of humiliation blurring her vision as she felt every eye in the nightclub on her.

They stepped outside, and Velvet nearly threw up at the sensation of fresh air hitting her face.

"Holy shit," Coco said, turning Velvet around and holding her at arm's length. "What the hell just happened, Velvet?"

"I didn't do anything! I-it was Cardin, he thinks he can get away with a-anything!" Velvet shouted. "I just – No one would do anything, and I thought-"

She wasn't able to finish whatever she was saying, her whole body heaving with a sob.

"Oh, honey." Coco pulled her in and hugged her, running a hand through Velvet's hair to calm her. "It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Cardin really is terrible," Dew said. "Do you need anything, Velvet? Can I get you a water?"

Velvet shook her head, and Dew moved to stand at a respectable distance.

"It was really brave, what you did, Velv," Coco said. "But maybe leave the roughhousing to me next time, okay? This is totally unlike you."

Velvet clenched her fists. She was still so _angry_. If Coco knew a tenth of how angry she was…

Cardin needed to go down.

 _She_ needed to bring him down.

"Velvet." Coco pushed her back a bit and wiped her eyes with her sleeves. "You wanna go home?"

Velvet nodded her head. "Mhmm."

She had work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to expand on a few things, so this story will now be six chapters long. I have a chronic disease that forbids me from writing short stories. Cheers, everyone.


	5. Supersonic Princess(es)

In a lonely room at the heart of Emerald Hills' First Police Department, Detective Jonathan Zephyr typed away at his computer, bored out of his mind. His eyes strayed often to his wristwatch, in the hope that an hour had passed during the last one minute, only for him to be disappointed once again. Time ticked away, paperwork was filled, and his energy drained.

The door opened, and a friendly face popped in – Deputy Chief Rayla – causing him to look up and smile a little for the first time today.

"Hey, Johnny," Rayla said. "How's it going? You busy right now?"

"Filling paperwork mostly," he replied, giving a nod to his monitor. "How about you?"

"Quiet day. Always is. I was going to grab a pretzel at the corner shop," she said. "Wanna come with?"

He looked from her to the computer, a finger tapping lightly on the spacebar. "It's still a couple hours 'til my break. And there is an awful lot of paperwork for me to get through," he said unsurely. "And, I kinda have to be here. Who knows what could happen while I'm gone, and if the boss found out I wasn't here…"

Rayla pushed the door open fully with her foot, then stared at him listlessly, her arms crossed.

"Ah, damnit. You've turned me around." Jonathan got up. "It's not like anything exciting ever happens in this town anyway."

Rayla nodded appreciatively and walked away. He stretched his arms above his head, then followed her a moment later, closing the door behind him.

A few seconds passed, and a plate on the ceiling started to shift, as if moved by an unseen force. With a creak, it detached from the ceiling entirely, then started to fall. Just as it was about to hit the floor, a glyph appeared beneath it, absorbing the momentum of its descent and keeping it from shattering.

Velvet dropped from the ceiling and sighed in relief, rubbing her aching ears. The department's ventilating system wasn't as wide as the plants had made it out to be, and she hadn't predicted she'd have to hide up there for so long. It was good she wasn't taller, or else the experience would have been even worse.

She grabbed the tile and put it down on the ground gently, then tiptoed towards the door and pressed an ear to it. Nothing outside except for the diligent typing of other officers. Good. She shouldn't be caught, unless something went horribly wrong – and no such thing would happen, surely.

Confident in her relative safety, Velvet walked over the detective's desk and sat down. She stared at the computer, left turned on with precious information on display for anyone to see, and for a moment, she paused in her actions.

This was definitely not within the boundaries of the law, what she was about to do. Not that she'd been entirely lawful so far, what with the trespassing and stalking and assault, but at least those she could somewhat justify. The last one had been self-defense, one hundred percent. But accessing a police database and digging around for information that no regular citizen should be privy to, that wasn't so easy to hand-wave away.

Velvet's face hardened as she remembered that night at the club. What did she care if she was doing a little illegal activity to catch Cardin? He was doing way worse stuff. She was doing the police a favor, really. _And_ , she could hardly be called a regular citizen nowadays, now could she?

She cracked her fingers, then got to work. There were no online guides on how to navigate a police database, especially if you didn't want to leave a trace, but she knew her way around a computer. After a couple minutes of getting familiarized with the system and many adventurous clicks, she managed to pull up the town's criminal records.

 _Cardin Winchester_ , she typed, and his information came up shortly. No records of any iunlawful activity. His history was crystal-clear. Velvet rolled her eyes, not surprised in the slightest.

She searched his buddies' names too, for good measure, but they came up empty too. Except Russel, who had a minor charge for… indecent public exposure and damaging public property.

"Lovely," Velvet mouthed, wishing she hadn't gone the extra mile there. "Just lovely."

So Cardin and his friends were clear. Velvet would have been disappointed, if she had been expecting anything else. She wouldn't have gone through all the trouble to invade a police department on a slim hope of finding incriminating history. No, she had a better lead.

She searched around for a moment, and smiled as she found another database, this one for vehicles registered in town or by local citizens. She quickly typed out _BCN-3842_ – the plate for Cardin's truck – and dragged her chair back a little, waiting anxiously.

Nothing. There was no registry of that plate. For a moment, Velvet simply stared at the screen, wondering if she had somehow misremembered the plate. But that couldn't be, she could see it in her mind as if it were right in front of her.

She brought her fist down on the desk, a sudden rage rising up her throat and nesting at the back of her mouth. What did it take to get anything on Cardin? How could it be that every lead she chased turned up empty?

Maybe it was his family. His name. But money and influence could only take him so far. Yes, beyond the undeserved resources he had at hand, Cardin was smart, covering every track, eliminating every chance of his plans being discovered.

She would have to try much, much harder, if she was going to foil someone was deviously clever as Cardin Winchester.

* * *

"I just can't figure it out!" Cardin yelled. "I don't get why no one will take me seriously! What does it take for me to get some respect in this town!"

He kicked the ground, throwing up a cloud of dirt that nearly hit the meats cooking up above the bonfire and putting it out entirely. Sitting around the fire, his friends gave middling reactions – Sky nodding along to his rant, just as angry as Cardin himself was, while Russel and Dove glanced at each other and shook their heads.

"What am I doing wrong?" Cardin asked, throwing his hands up. "Somebody tell me, because from where I'm standing, it looks like I'm doing everything right!"

"I'm not sure," Sky said, in deep thought. "Maybe setting up a business built up on illegal arms trade is more complicated than we thought?"

"Oh, really," Cardin scoffed. "Tell me something new."

"Well, you did seem like you thought this was going to be easy," Dove pointed out. "Maybe it's the way you carry yourself. Think about it. Why would a bunch of career criminals take you seriously? To them, you're just a spoiled rich boy who just got out of high school."

"I graduated four years ago!" Cardin protested. "And what's wrong with being rich? That should be a positive to them!"

Dove shrugged, conceding that maybe he had a good point going on there.

"Those guys are dead wrong if they think I'm just an idiot," Cardin said.

"Yep, you're a lot more than just an idiot," Russel agreed readily.

Cardin raised a finger and glared at him. "They're gonna regret ignoring me once they see what they're missing out on. I showed them what I had to offer, and they laughed in my face. Well, we'll see who's laughing!"

"Cardin, you showed them _pictures_ of what you had to offer," Dove said. "Pictures anyone can download from the Internet."

"I took those pictures myself!" Cardin threw his hands up. "And what am I supposed to do, drive around town with an arsenal in the trunk of my car, just to convince some lowlifes that I'm the real deal? They should be the ones begging _me_ to trust them!"

"Wait. I just thought of something," Sky said. "If they're career criminals, you know, bad guys and all, and we wanna make a deal with them… What's stopping them from just _taking_ our stuff instead?"

Cardin opened his mouth, then closed it. Dove leaned forward on his chair and rubbed the corners of his eyes, while Russel choked on his own laughter.

"Well, I…" Cardin said slowly. "…have a plan for that. A perfect, failproof method of us getting what we want, without getting killed." He paused. "Which I'll share with you later."

"Oh, boy," Dove groaned. "Cardin, don't you think we're a little out of league here? Maybe we should stop before we get into real trouble… Or at least we should take a couple weeks to think things through."

Cardin's face twisted into a scowl, and Dove flinched and leaned away in his chair. Russel stopped laughing immediately and looked away, rubbing his nose as if he weren't present in the discussion.

"We are _not_ stopping," Cardin said. "You wanna back out, then you back out. But you know you're not gonna be welcome here anymore, and you don't get to talk about anything. Can you do that, Bronzewing?"

"No… I don't wanna back out," Dove said quietly. "I just meant that maybe-"

"I have everything under control. I always do." Cardin looked around. "What, are you three starting to doubt me now? You gonna treat me like a joke too?"

Sky shook his head. "No way. We're with you, man." He looked at Dove and Russel. " _Right_ , guys?"

"Absolutely."

"Without question."

Cardin turned his back to them and stared at the fire, his fists clenched tight at his sides.

"Good. 'Cause this town is gonna be mine in no time," he said. "Everyone will fear the name Winchester… and it'll be because of _me_. Anyone that tries and stop me will be shown their place."

The fire creaked, and the boys shared in the tense silence, imagining their empire-to-come.

"…I think the sausages are getting burned," Sky piped up.

"What?" Cardin blinked, then grabbed the stick with the sausages and took it out of the fire in a panic. In his haste, he knocked everything else over, dropping the rest of the meats into the fire, and sending burning wood all over the grassy backyard.

Everyone jumped to their feet, while Cardin threw the sausages away and put his hands on his head.

"Ah, shit!" he yelled. "Shit! Goddamnit! Someone go grab a bucket! This is a disaster!"

* * *

Velvet tapped her chin as she stared at her laptop, trying to figure out exactly what it was that she was missing.

She knew most of Cardin's routine, including the places and people he liked to visit, but there were still a few gaps where she didn't know where he went. That was likely when he was checking on his arsenal. If she could somehow follow him the next time…

Velvet heard the front door open and close, and felt the apartment tremble a little from the force of the impact. She looked up from her laptop, ears perking up, and tilted her head to the side to listen. That was certainly Coco returning from class, but she was a little early… And hadn't she mentioned she was going to eat out with Dew?

She shrugged and returned her attention to her laptop, only to flinch as she heard stomping on the living room. Just what the heck was going on with Coco?

She closed her laptop and got up from bed, then walked out of her room and went to the living room. Velvet looked around the corner and saw Coco pacing around with her phone in hand, her fingers moving at a blistering pace, though whatever it was she was typing, she didn't seem so sure about it. Her lips formed a narrow line, and her chin was trembling in a way Velvet had rarely seen before.

"Coco?" Velvet said hesitantly, coming around the corner. "You, uhm… Are you okay?"

Coco looked up from her phone, and Velvet was shocked by the fury in her eyes. She had seen Coco look at other people like that sometimes – often, even – but she'd never been at the receiving end of it.

"Yes, Velvet, I am completely okay," Coco spat. "What, does it look like I'm not okay to you?"

"I-I'm sorry. I heard you stomping around and…" Velvet trailed off. She looked back at the hallway, half wishing she hadn't left her room. "D-did something happen?"

"No, I'm just in a _mood_." Coco put her phone away. "Dew asked me out, that's what happened."

"Oh." Velvet hesitated for a second, then smiled at Coco. "But that's great news! I'm so happy for you!"

Her smile withered as she saw Coco's rage intensify, her lips pulling back in an almost-snarl, and Velvet braced herself in fear of what was about to come out. But just as it looked like Coco was going to say something, the anger drained out of her face, and all that was left was a supreme tiredness.

"You would be happy," she said, sighing. "Thanks for the help." She walked past Velvet, giving her a light pat on the shoulder, and headed for her room.

Velvet turned around, confused. "Did I do something wrong?"

Coco reached her room and went inside, closing the door and locking it. Without an answer, Velvet stood alone in the living room, befuddled as to what had just happened. Clearly, she had done something to upset Coco, she just couldn't figure out how.

Velvet shook her head. This would have to wait. Perturbed, she returned to her room and got back to work.

* * *

Velvet hopped off her glyph and landed on the Winchesters' roof with a soft thump. She rubbed her hands together to stave off the chilly air, then walked over to the edge and sat down for another boring night of watching Cardin.

It didn't take her long to notice something was off. Cardin's gang was gathered in the backyard as usual, except for one critical absence – Cardin himself. The rest of the boys were sitting in silence, and unless Velvet was imagining things, they looked rather tense. They didn't even have a fire going, which was something they seemed always fond of.

Velvet grabbed Anesidora and lifted it to press its cool surface against her chin, a nervous energy bubbling up inside her. It might be wishful thinking, but tonight felt different somehow. Important. Cardin was gone. That had to mean something.

Half an hour later, her expectations were confirmed, as the noise of a large vehicle filled the air. She turned to look at the street, and her heart jumped inside her chest – Cardin's truck was coming around the corner.

The gates to the mansion opened remotely, and the truck pulled into the grounds, driving around to the backyard, where the boys jumped to their feet in anticipation. It was as the truck got closer that Velvet noticed it was towing something behind it – a cart about as large as the truck itself, with a black tarp spread over it.

The weapons! Velvet scooted closer to the edge, mere inches away from open air, and closed her fingers tightly around Anesidora.

The truck stopped, and Cardin jumped out of the front seat, raising his hands above his head like he was a champion returning to the ring. His friends walked over to him, clapping enthusiastically.

"Well, here I am, boys!" Cardin declared, gesturing at himself. "A king always keeps his promises, and I come bearing many gifts!" He raised an open hand at Sky when his smile got a little too big. "Stop. I was just playing things up. Nothing I brought here is a gift. But I've got one very important thing."

Sky looked at his feet in disappointment, then shrugged and smiled again.

"So, this thing," Dove said, nodding at the cart behind the truck. "Is it that thing you talked about that's gonna solve our bad guy problems?"

"It is, indeed," Cardin said. "Very astute of you."

"Well can you show it already?" Russel asked, huffing impatiently. "We've been waiting here for hours. I was starting to think you fell into a ditch or something."

"This thing's heavy, okay? Driving it around isn't the easiest thing in the world. Not to mention getting it up there in the first place," Cardin said.

"It wouldn't have been so hard it you weren't so stubborn about letting us come with you to help," Russel said. "Seriously, man, why are you so paranoid about us seeing where the weapons are?"

"Company policy." Cardin raised his nose to Russel, then turned around and walked to the back of the truck. "Why don't you guys come and see for yourselves, if you're so excited."

The rest of the boys followed him, and Velvet moved a little to the side to get a better look.

Cardin grabbed the tarp over the cart and pulled it off, revealing what hid beneath it – a robot. Velvet blinked and swiped at her eyes. No, not a robot. A full suit of armor, from feet to head, about as tall as Cardin himself.

"Uh… Isn't that one of those security bots?" Sky asked. "Like the ones they have at banks at stuff?"

"No. This isn't a bot. It's kinda like that, but it isn't," Cardin said smugly. "It's a Centurion-class armor. Cutting edge technology. You wear it, and _you_ become the weapon." He tapped his knuckles on the suit's head, causing it to wobble left and right. "It's got a Dust Reactor Core, which powers it up, apparently. It can blast things with Dust and punch through metal, all sorts of nifty functions."

"Can it fly?!" Sky exclaimed.

"Okay, that, it can't do." Cardin shrugged. "But you could jump really high with it, I think."

"Wait, a Dust Reactor Core?" Dove said. "I thought they made those things illegal."

"Yeah, if you don't have express permission from Beacon to install one. And any kinda portable version is a big no-no," Cardin said. "But I don't see why we should care about any of that. I mean, apparently the SDC doesn't and they're doing fine, so what's there to worry about?"

Velvet took a quick photo of the Centurion suit and the boys around it, Anesidora fixing up the picture perfectly. She rubbed her eyes again, still not quite believing what she was seeing. She had done a lot of research on the legality of Dust technology and its applications, to learn the exact severity of Cardin's crimes, and she knew that just the _building_ of something like this Centurion was a big violation of the law. To actually _use_ one? You could go to prison for life.

 _Good_.

"So, I'm guessing you're gonna be wearing it when we're making deals?" Russel asked.

"Yep," Cardin said. "Sorry, I would let you guys give it a try, but it's… a very finnicky thing. Wouldn't want any of you to get hurt. I'm taking one for the team, really."

"Mhmm." Russel crossed his arms. "And we're just gonna stand there? What's stopping _us_ from getting shot in the head?"

"Well, if the other guys look like they're about to shoot you," Cardin said, pushing the Centurion aside with a mighty heave. "Then you shoot them first, with these!"

He gestured at the cart and his friends cheered in approval, but Velvet couldn't quite see what he was talking about. She pointed Anesidora at the cart and zoomed in before snapping a picture, then checked what it had captured.

Oh, great. Guns. Lots of guns. Pistols, automatic rifles, sniper rifles, nothing particularly special, but still guns, and they were all powered by Dust.

Wait, why was she upset? This was the moment she had been waiting for! Cardin was right there with his guns, and with something even worse in the Centurion armor to boot, and she had it all on camera.

 _Jackpot_! Velvet bit her finger to keep herself from screaming in joy. Cardin was going down, finally!

"-then what do we do? We just _die_?" Dove said, and Velvet realized she'd missed a chunk of the conversation.

" _No_. You'd see them coming for sure," Cardin argued. "Look, it won't ever come to that anyway. No one would be stupid enough to try shooting any of you when I'm in the armor. I'd crush their bones into powder."

"Are we getting into the powder business now?" Russel asked. "'Cause I'm just saying, I've heard the profit is high, and the _benefits_ …"

"Shut up, Russel," Cardin said, then stopped to think. "Actually, let's file that discussion for later."

"I _still_ think this is a terrible contingency plan, and we're all probably gonna die except you," Dove insisted.

Cardin leaned back and groaned loudly, then took a deep breath and carried on. "Alright. You guys aren't sure? I get that. I'd be pretty nervous too, in your positions." He clapped his hands and nodded at the truck. "Here's my idea. We go make the deal, like we planned. But when we get there, you guys stay in the truck, or you go hide around the corner, or something, and I'll do everything by myself in the armor. Then you'll see how scared the guys will be, and next time, you'll be more confident in me. How does that sound?"

Sky, Dove and Russel shared a look, then nodded hesitantly.

"Great!" Cardin said. "Let's head out, then! To the first of many great business ventures!"

Velvet nearly fell off the roof, so shocked she was. Cardin was going to sell the weapons off tonight? _Right_ _now_?

She dragged herself away from the edge, her heart speeding like a bullet train inside her chest. What did she do? Cardin was leaving. All those guns, they'd soon be gone. Who knows where they would end up? Nowhere safe, that was for sure.

Velvet took a deep breath.

She didn't _have_ to do anything. She had the photos. They were evidence that, at least, Cardin had been in possession of illegal firearms. And though these ones would be gone, the rest would turn up fast once Beacon investigated him. Cardin was done for, all she had to was leave, make a call, and carry on with her life.

…That would be a wonderful thing for her to believe in. But the more she thought about it, the more she remembered the night at club, and the way nobody had stood up for her even when they knew Cardin was in the wrong from the start.

So what if she had photos? She was just one faunus girl. Just Velvet. Why should anyone take her seriously?

Velvet grit her teeth, and carefully rose to her feet. She would have to do this the only way she knew would stick. _Herself_.

She walked over to the edge and looked down at the truck. Cardin was already in, leaning on the steering wheel with a frustrated expression while the others shuffled through the back to grab a weapon of their choosing.

Velvet looked down at Anesidora, considering her options. Something simple, but accurate. A blue light flashed in front of her, and she snatched the Dust rifle from the air before gravity could take hold and drop it on the backyard below.

She'd never done this, and she hadn't prepared for it… But how hard could it be? Point, and shoot. _Easier than taking a photo_.

She aimed at the cart, trying to steady her shaky hands, and leaned forward ever so slightly.

"Hey!" she yelled. "Get away from the truck!"

She gave the guys a couple seconds to react and jump away from the truck, then took her shot.

She missed, obviously, hitting the ground some five meters away from the truck. The blast tore a cloud of dirt from the earth, and the grass around the impact caught on fire.

But that one had been intentional.

"What the f-" Cardin jumped out and looked around wildly. Before he could get a good look at her, she took another stray shot, not too far away from the first one. He seemed to get the message then, running away with his arms covering his head – as if that would have helped him.

Finally, Velvet aimed at the cart again, and pulled the trigger.

The blast that followed was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before.

The round she'd fired, nothing more than a mass of concentrated Dust energy accelerating at a speed faster than the eye could follow, hit the cart behind the truck – causing the Dust inside the dozens of weapons in there to combust and burst out of their shells – and all the live energy gathered in a single spot merged together, and knowing nowhere else to go, exploded upward, shooting a beacon of multicolored light into the night sky.

Velvet felt the heat on her skin an instant before the force of the blast knocked her off her feet and onto her back. She screamed and covered her ears as the sound of thunder stretched out a thousand times over bombarded her. Her bones rattled, her lungs didn't seem to take in or release air, and her heart sped up such that she felt it could _burst_ -

And then it was over, and she was on her knees, watching the sky come alive with colors. She stared for a moment, the realization that _she'd done that_ slowly dawning on her, and wondered if she should take a picture to remember.

She got up, cast a glance at the apocalyptic backyard, and jumped away, turning into a swarm of rose petals.

* * *

"Really? You don't know _what_ in your backyard might have caused this?"

Cardin wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt and shook his head, making his best impression of being scared out of his mind. What made it easier is that he was, indeed, scared out of his mind, except it was for reasons totally unlike what the police officer questioning him probably believed.

The weapons – what remained of them – were gone from the property. He had ordered the others to take them and hide them away as soon as they'd all gotten their bearings. The Centurion didn't seem to be broken, but he'd have do a closer check later. The important part was, the police wasn't going to find anything they wouldn't like.

But the question still remained, why had a Dust explosion surged from the back of his house in the middle of the night, and how was he responsible for it? That wasn't something that just happened at random. And he didn't think telling the officer that a stranger had shot his illegal stash of Dust firearms would be a good answer.

"L-look, I d-don't know," he said, bowing his head and gasping. "I'm sorry, I don't know. I-I'm just glad I'm not _dead_."

"Yeah, sure. We all are, kid," the officer said. "But you gotta help me out here. How did this-" He gestured at the backyard, specifically at the damaged truck. "All of this, happen? I got half the city without power, everybody freaking out about the sky turning into a lightshow, and no answers. Do you know anything? _Anything_?"

Cardin shrugged powerlessly. The officer looked away for a second, then turned to him again, his expression much harsher.

"Alright. If you can't help me out here, I'm gonna have to ask you to come with me to the precinct to answer some questions," he said. "I know you know something, kid. So you can either tell me right now, or-"

Another officer walked over and tapped his shoulder, then whispered something in his ear. The first officer's face went from surprised to annoyed, before he threw up his hands and sighed.

"Alright, kid. You're clear, for now," he said. "You make sure to go inside and rest. We'll call you when we have more questions."

The officers walked away, and a minute later, Cardin heard the sound of their car speeding away. No sooner were they gone, Cardin's phone started ringing in his pocket, and he quickly answered it, sparing a fearful look at the screen first.

" _Cardin! What is the meaning of this?!_ "

"H-hey, Dad," Cardin answered, shrinking at the mere voice of his father. "Nice to hear from you too."

" _Don't act any stupider than you actually are. For goodness' sake, son, what did you do this time?_ " his father bellowed. " _What. Did. You. Do?_ "

Cardin covered his mouth, panic swelling inside him. This was not at all how he had planned things to go.

"I, uh… I had some stuff. Stuff I was going to sell. Sensitive stuff," he said, measuring his words slowly, though that didn't seem to help make him sound any less dumb. "I was going to start a business, you see. Everything was going well. I had everything under control, and-"

" _Don't try and talk around me, boy. Tell me the truth, now._ "

"I… got some weapons. Dust weapons," Cardin said. "We were just about to go sell them… B-but, someone shot at us from out of nowhere, and they all blew up."

" _Someone shot at you? Who?_ "

"I-I don't know, I didn't have a chance to look, I was running for my life!" Cardin yelled.

His father was silent for a moment.

" _Who else knows about this_ business _of yours?_ "

"My friends. The usual guys, you've met them," Cardin said. "They're trustworthy. You don't have to worry about them."

" _Anyone else?_ "

"I guess… I guess there's one other person. But I already took care of her. That's all of them, I think."

" _Okay. Make sure you don't let anyone else find out. I already have my people working to fix this mess you've made. I'll also have them find the man who attacked you. Don't do anything stupid in the meanwhile. Don't leave the house, don't talk to your friends. Just try and use your brain for once in your life._ "

Cardin nodded and mumbled something under his breath.

" _Oh, and Cardin?_ "

"Yeah?"

" _I'm embarrassed to call you my son._ "

His father hung up. Cardin looked at his phone for a moment, then dropped it on the ground. He slowly lowered himself to the ground and sat on the grass, arms on his knees, and stared at his house in silence.

His phone rang again, and he picked it up in a rage.

"What?!" he shouted. "What do you _fucking_ want?!"

" _Cardin. Jeez, dude_ ," Sky said. " _Are you okay? Did the cops come?_ "

"They're already gone. My father scared them or something," Cardin said. "What do you want?"

" _Look, we – we dropped the stuff off where you told us. I thought you'd like to know._ " Sky paused. " _By the way, wow, you really got a lot of guns here, huh? Nice!_ "

"Sky. Not the time," Cardin said, gritting his teeth. "Anything else?"

" _Yeah, actually. Russel wanted me to tell you something, but it's so stupid I'm gonna make him tell you himself. Wait a second, I'm passing him the phone_ -"

Cardin heard some jostling at the other end of the line, then the inklings of an argument, and maybe someone smacking some guns together in the background. He glared at the sky, thinking how much he hated these guys.

" _Yo. It's Russel. I'm with Sky and Dove at the-_ "

"Yeah, I know," Cardin said. "What do _you_ want?"

" _Okay. So. I think I know who blew up our stuff_ ," Russel said. " _It was Velvet Scarlatina._ "

Cardin took a long, measured, deep breath. "Are you actually joking with me right now?"

" _I'm not! Look, I saw her! Dove too! She was on top of the house, with a rifle!_ " Russel exclaimed. " _Dove, back me up here._ "

The banging of guns stopped for a second, and Dove chimed in. " _Yeah, I saw her too. She had a rifle._ "

Cardin blinked. He could imagine Russel alone saying something so stupidly insane, but Dove too? Unless they had some kind of collective hallucination. But Cardin doubted that, even with those two being so close with each other.

"Alright. Listen," Cardin said. "I can see how you might think that it was Velvet Scarlatina, because she's the only one outside the gang who knows about our stuff. Except it doesn't make any sense, because she's Velvet fucking Scarlatina. She couldn't step on an ant, let alone fire a gun."

" _Uh, she did break your wrist last week, remember?_ " Russel said.

"That's not the same thing as firing a gun!"

" _Yeah, but I think she has superpowers. I saw her jump and turn into flowers like that reaper chick,_ " Russel said. " _Dove saw her too. Back me up here, Dove._ "

" _I saw her too. She did that weird petal thing, have no idea how that works,_ " Dove chimed in again.

"You two-" Cardin started, then stopped himself and took a moment to calm down. "Okay. Let's say it was Velvet, and that she has superpowers. Why the hell would she shoot at us?"

A long moment of silence passed.

"Okay. Let me rephrase that," Cardin said. "I told her I would hurt her girlfriend if she messed with me. She wouldn't dare try anything. Velvet's too much of a coward."

" _She said you were going down at the club last week, or something like that, so maybe she's not that scared, actually_ ," Sky said. " _Oh, shit, I think I'm starting to buy into this theory too! It's all connected!_ "

Cardin put his phone down on the grass, muffling the noise of the discussion at the other end of the line.

Velvet Scarlatina was screwing with him. The idea was outlandish. But, the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Absolutely nobody else knew about the guns, he had made sure of it. And she had acted really strangely last week, almost like she was another person altogether.

He wasn't so sure she was a superhero, or whatever… But aside from that…

Well, there was only one way to find out. And if Velvet was behind the attack and he caught her, then he would be saving his father the trouble.

That would be something.

"Alright." He picked up the phone, and the others quieted down. "I need you three to do something for me."

* * *

Velvet climbed into the living room through the window, swaying on her feet a bit as she stood in the stillness of the apartment. She slid the window shut behind her, then stumbled over to the kitchen, flipping the light switch on the way in. For a moment, she was confused as to why it stayed dark, until she remembered that every building she'd passed on the way to the apartment had been dark too. Why would here be any different?

God, she was really out of it. Her head felt heavy, and she still couldn't quite get her breathing in order, despite it being more than an hour since she'd left Cardin's home. She could feel the heat of the explosion on her skin as if it had happened just a minute before. And her ears – oh, her poor ears. She couldn't tell whether they were back to normal yet.

Still, Velvet didn't feel _bad_ , exactly. Just a little out of sorts, which was only to be expected after what she'd done. It wasn't like setting off Dust explosions on people's backyards was an everyday activity of hers. But aside from that, she actually felt fine. _Great_ , even.

She grabbed herself a glass from a cupboard and filled it to the brim with water, then guzzled down half of it in one go. She leaned on the sink and sighed. That felt better. The apartment didn't feel so deafeningly silent anymore. She brought the glass to her lips again – and froze as she felt a touch on her shoulder.

Velvet spun around, bringing her free hand on a downward arc reflex – only to stop short as she recognized Coco standing before her in the dimness of the kitchen. She yanked her hand back and staggered away, accidentally letting go of her glass. It fell into the sink with a strident _clank_ , but luckily didn't break.

"Yeesh." Coco looked her up and down, mystified by her reaction. "Jumpy, aren't we?"

"J-jumpy? You startled me!" Velvet stammered. She tried to pick up the glass again, but it slipped between her fingers and rolled back down the sink. Flustered, she gave up and turned back to Coco. "Y-you can't just go grabbing people from behind like that."

"I called your name," Coco said, unamused. "You got cotton in your ears?"

"Cotton? I _wish_!" Velvet exclaimed. "I mean – no, I was just distracted."

Coco raised an eyebrow at her, then looked pointedly at Anesidora. "So, assuming the person I heard sneaking in through the window was you, and there's not a serial killer spying on us right now – you were out again?"

"Yeah. I was taking photos," Velvet replied reflexively.

"Huh. Must have three full albums ready at this rate," Coco said unflinchingly, and Velvet felt herself wither. "But I guess I can't blame you. Potential for some great pics tonight. Did you catch a look of that thing in the sky?"

Coco walked to the living room, and Velvet followed her nervously. She hadn't forgotten about their exchange earlier today, but Coco might as well have, with the way she was acting. Coco had been so angry with her. Now, it was like it had never happened.

"There." Coco went to the window and pointed. "Crazy, isn't it?"

The beacon of light that had emerged from the explosion had faded away, but some of the energy still remained, and it had settled amongst the clouds in the lower atmosphere, slowly spinning in a disc of translucent colors.

"Yeah. Crazy," Velvet said. "Looks like Emerald Hills is in for a bit of morning rainbow rain."

"Somehow I doubt that's the official forecast. But who knows these days," Coco said. "Do you have any clue what might have caused that? I tried checking online, but I couldn't get a connection."

"I don't know," Velvet said. "Maybe there was an accident, like an explosion or a gas leak? Those things happen, right?"

"Who knows. Guess we'll have to wait to find out," Coco said. She turned away from the window and looked at Velvet. "I'm just glad you're home safe. I was… kinda scared, not knowing where you were."

Velvet shuffled on her feet, lost for a response. She didn't know how to feel about Coco worrying about her so much. On one hand, how could she not appreciate her best friend looking out for her like that? On the other hand…

It was getting to be a bit irritating. Maybe it was terrible of Velvet to feel that way, but she could take her of herself well enough on her own. Coco didn't seem to get that, though.

Unsettled by her own feelings, Velvet shooed those thoughts away. She was still on edge, that was why she was feeling so weird. "Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to worry you."

"It's alright," Coco said shortly, her eyes shifting away from Velvet. "I'm going back to sleep now. Good night."

She walked past Velvet, heading towards the hallway and her room, but before she could get far, Velvet turned around and pulled her back by her wrist.

"Coco, wait," Velvet said. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing's going on with me," Coco said, pulling her hand free of Velvet's grip. "Save for some grumpiness due to interrupted sleep." Her eyes narrowed. "And my roommate, keeping me from getting back to it."

"No. Don't deflect," Velvet said, putting her foot down. "Something's wrong, and you won't tell me what. Are you mad at me?"

Coco took a step back, drilling a hole in the ceiling with her eyes. "I'm not mad at you, Velvet."

"Is it something to do with Dew, then?" Velvet asked. "It must be. You were acting all weird when we talked earlier."

"Yeah. Congratulations, you figured it out," Coco said. "We're done now." She started walking away again, but Velvet slipped around her and put herself between Coco and the hallway.

"Not until you explain exactly what's wrong," Velvet said. "You _have_ to tell me."

"Goddamnit, Velvet." Coco covered her eyes with a hand. "I _really_ don't wanna have this conversation right now."

Velvet crossed her arms, having no intention of moving, even if Coco tried to get past her by force.

"You're the worst. I hate you," Coco spat. "You know I'm not playing, don't you? I could break your nose right now."

"You could try," Velvet said. "So. Dew asked you out."

For a minute, Coco just stared at her furiously, before her expression broke and she stomped over to the couch and dropped onto it. Velvet sat beside her and waited silently.

"She did," Coco said, dragging every word out like it was painful. "I was leaving class, and we were going to go grab lunch together. So she called me, and she… Basically, she asked me if it would be okay if instead of just lunch, it was a… date."

"That's… cool?" Velvet said hesitantly. "I mean, I didn't expect Dew to go with something like that, but…"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, she was very sweet about it. She was… she was trying to be accommodating with me or something. 'Cause I'm…" Coco waved her hand in an empty gesture. "Whatever. She was great. I rejected her."

Velvet gasped. "Wait, what? But you like her! Why would you-"

" _Because_ , Velvet!" Coco exclaimed. "I have – I have goddamn issues, okay, with getting close with people, if you haven't noticed! And we would never work out anyway, we would both just end up hurt in the end, so what's the point?"

"T-that's not true," Velvet said. "You can't not try just because you're scared."

"Scared? Holy shit, Velvet. You don't know the half of it," Coco said, and Velvet realized she was shaking so bad her hands couldn't stay still on the sofa. "I didn't just _reject_ her. The things I fucking said. I'd be lucky if she ever _looked_ at me again."

Velvet stared at Coco in terror, feeling like she'd set off another Dust explosion right in her face, except this one seemed to do even more damage, somehow.

"M-maybe n-not," she tried to say. "Uhm, o-okay, you did a bad thing – but you were just, you were surprised. She'll understand, and you can try again, better this time."

Coco turned towards her, and it was Velvet's turn to start shaking as she felt the cold fury in Coco's eyes pierce into her.

"You know what, Velvet? I was lying before. I _am_ mad at you," Coco said. "I am goddamn _furious_. Who do you think you are, going behind my back and telling people how _I_ feel?"

" I-I'm sorry. I didn't think-" Velvet's voice failed her, and she jumped to her feet and paced away from Coco. "I thought I was helping. I just want to h-help. You like Dew, but you wouldn't do anything about it, so-"

"So you took it in your own hands, huh? Nice job, you only just forgot to consider that maybe I'm not a helpless wreck like you, and if I'm not doing something, I might have a good fucking reason for that!" Coco said, getting up too. "It hurts, you know. It hurts that I trusted you more than anyone in the world and you couldn't stop to consider my feelings for two seconds. You're too wrapped up in your little world to ever think about anyone but yourself!"

Velvet turned around, her breath catching in her throat. Anesidora felt impossibly heavy around her neck all of a sudden, and she felt herself closing her fists as the guilt was washed away by something else altogether.

"I already said I'm sorry. I screwed up bad, okay? I did," she said. "But how was I supposed to know that you felt that way? Was I supposed to read your mind? You never talk to me about these things. I'm your best friend, and you never share anything with me!"

"Oh, please, are we in middle school again?" Coco scoffed. "I don't owe it to you to tell you anything. Grow up, Velvet."

"Yeah, because you deal with your emotions so maturely. Just sweep them under the rug, make a snarky comment about it, and everything will be fine. _You_ grow up, Coco," Velvet said. "I share everything with you. _Everything_. But that doesn't mean anything to you."

"Sure, sure. You share _everything_ ," Coco said. "Mind if I have a look at that album you're working on, best friend?"

Velvet looked at Anesidora, then at Coco, her patience meeting its limit. "Fine. Go ahead."

She walked over to Coco and handed over Anesidora. Coco threw her a derisive look, then turned her attention to the camera and started going through its gallery. In seconds, her face turned pale, and her eyes started to shift from it to Velvet.

"What the hell," Coco said. She lifted Anesidora and turned it around to show Velvet. "What is this, Velvet?"

"I took that one a couple hours ago. It's Cardin and his gang with their guns," Velvet said, a grin coming to her lips. "Nice one, right? Took weeks for me to get the chance."

"Velvet, I'm not joking around," Coco said. "Why do you have this photo?"

"Cardin is trying to make a business of selling illegal firearms here. Or he _was_ trying. Either he'll give up after tonight, or he won't get the chance to keep trying," Velvet said. "I've been tracking his movements. Trying to get evidence on him. That's what I've been doing every night since I got Anesidora."

Coco shook her head in disbelief, her astonishment only growing as she went through the rest of the photos in the gallery. "When… How? How did this happen?"

"The night I was robbed – that wasn't what actually happened. The truth is, I stumbled on Cardin showing the guns off to his buddies. He caught me, beat me up, and destroyed my camera. And then, he told me that if I said anything about it to anyone, he would come hurt you." Velvet paused. "So yeah, Coco, I'm selfish. I only ever think about myself."

Coco flinched, guilt and regret and fear showing on her face all at once.

"Shit, Velvet. Why didn't you tell me?" she said. "I could have helped you."

"I didn't _need_ you to help me. Why do you think I always need you to help me? I did all of this on my own, and I'm fine. Cardin's done for," Velvet said. She pointed at the window. "You see that out there? I did that."

"You did _what_?" Coco exclaimed.

"I went to his house and I blew up his guns. Simple as that." Velvet shrugged. "He's in big trouble now. Probably will be investigated. And if nothing happens to him, I'll make sure he doesn't pull any shady stuff again."

"Velvet, that's insane. Do you realize how insane everything you just said sounds?" Coco said. She looked down at Anesidora, and her face hardened. "It all started with this _thing_."

She started to walk towards the window purposefully, but Velvet intercepted her and ripped Anesidora from her hands, then backed off to the other side of the room and put it around her neck.

"Velvet, that thing's _evil_! You know I'm right!" Coco said. "You haven't been acting like yourself since it showed up out of nowhere. Think about it. You don't even know what it is, but you treat it like it's some kind of gift. It took half a day from you! Don't you think that's a little worrying?"

"No, I don't think so," Velvet replied, pulling the camera close to her chest. "Anesidora isn't evil. It helps me. It _chose_ me."

"That's nonsense! How has it been helping you, aside from enabling you with this dangerous shit with Cardin?" Coco asked.

"It made me better," Velvet said. "I'm not scared of everything anymore. Because of it, I can do anything I want."

"No, Velvet, you can't do anything _without it_. You've forgotten all about your job because of it. You're so obsessed with the thing you won't even do photography anymore!" Coco said. "You're not better. At this point, how do you even know you're still _you_?"

Velvet stopped, Coco's words hitting her like a truck. She dropped Anesidora, letting it hang off her neck, and as the panic erupted inside of her, grabbed onto the first escape her subconscious mind found.

"You know what I think, Coco? I think you hate Anesidora because you feel threatened by it," she said, the words spilling out of her mouth unbidden. "Now that I have it, you can't fix me anymore. No more stupid, helpless Velvet. So you really don't have any use left for me."

"Fix you?" Coco faltered, and Velvet saw the shimmer of tears in her eyes. "Is that really how you think I see you? All these years?"

"Yeah, but I guess I never talked about it," Velvet said. "I must have picked up that habit from someone."

 _Stop_ , she screamed at herself, but it was already too late. There was only silence now, silence and a growing cold that took hold of Velvet as she stood paralyzed, staring at Coco in terror.

The power came back on with a _beep_ , flooding the living room with light. Velvet turned her eyes away from the brightness, and in that moment Coco stormed past to her room. She returned seconds later, a coat in one hand and her phone in the other.

"W-where are you going?" Velvet asked.

Coco went straight for the door, not even sparing her a glance. "Anywhere you're not."

"Wait – Coco, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

The door slammed shut, and Velvet was left alone in the apartment. She collapsed to the floor, legs bent under her, and removed Anesidora from around her neck. With a snarl, she tossed the camera away without a care, and covered her face with her hands as a sob wracked her body.

* * *

"I'm sorry about calling this early," Coco said, barely watching the way as she crossed the street. "I'm sorry about everything, actually. I'm really, really-"

" _Slow down_ ," Dew said. " _Coco, what's going on? You sound like you've been through something_."

Well that was a way to describe the disaster that had been her last twenty-four hours.

"It's complicated. I'll… I'll tell you about it in person," Coco said. "I know I shouldn't be asking this of you, but I really need someone to talk to right now. Do you think you could meet me somewhere?"

" _Forget about that_ ," Dew replied, and for a split second, Coco's heart went into freefall. " _Come over to my place. I'll make you some hot chocolate, or whatever you want, and we can talk._ "

"Hot chocolate sounds great. Thanks, Dew. Really," Coco said. "You're a sweetheart. I'll be there in ten."

She put her phone away and picked up the pace, all but racing down the street. It felt like that was the only alternative other than to break down completely.

Dew really was too nice to her. Maybe Velvet had a point, and she'd be able to make things work with her after all.

 _Velvet_.

She was so distraught, she didn't notice the van following her until it pulled over the curb and came to a dead halt in front of her, the backdoor sliding open to the side. Coco pulled back, closing her hand into a fist – but by that point Dove Bronzewing was already upon her, a cloth pressed to her mouth. She tried to scream, but everything turned black.


	6. Mirrored Picture

Velvet woke up with a massive headache.

She pushed herself up by her elbows and rubbed her forehead, closing her eyes to try and block out some of the pain. She felt like she was sunk deep in freezing water, while her head had been shoved inside an oven and left to heat up for an hour.

And it was all because of one stupid argument.

Velvet looked down at herself and sighed. She had been too tired to change before going to bed. Or maybe she just hadn't cared. Though by the look of things, it didn't seem like she had slept much at all. It was a little past nine in the morning. Coco would have left for class half an hour ago.

_Oh God, Coco_.

Somehow, Velvet found the strength to drag herself out of bed. She swayed erratically for a moment after her bare feet hit the floor, then walked purposefully out of her room, making a beeline for Coco's door. She nudged it open the tiniest bit and peered inside. Coco was nowhere to be seen.

Velvet all but ran to the living room, and upon finding it empty, raced over to the kitchen to give it a look too. Also empty. Her back hit a wall as she stumbled back, her hands going to her hair, and she let escape a pitiful whimper.

Coco really was gone, and it was all her fault.

Or not. It was _not_ her fault. Velvet strode over to the living room, her eyes immediately finding the cursed camera she'd left lying on the floor. _Anesidora_. She snatched it off the floor and threw it on the table, pointing an accusing finger at it.

"It's your fault," she said through gritted teeth. " _Leave_."

The camera didn't move an inch. It didn't make a sound. It simply lay there, innocuous, like any ordinary object.

"I know you can hear me. You showed up here and you ruined everything, and now, you're going to leave," Velvet said. "Just leave! I don't want you here!"

Like before, Anesidora gave her no sign it had heard her. Velvet stepped closer, her hands balled into fists. There was a tightness in her chest now, and getting her words out felt much harder all of a sudden.

"It's your f-fault. You made me say those things," Velvet said. "Coco was right about you. Y-you're ev-vil."

That time, Anesidora seemed to respond to her words. Though it didn't move or make a sound, Velvet felt it staring back at her, as if it were posing her a question.

Unsettled, Velvet turned her back to the camera and walked away from it. She brought her hand up to her lips, biting her finger lightly as she contemplated what to do next. She had to get rid of the thing, that much was clear. But how? She wasn't even sure she _could_ get rid of it. It had showed up in her room unbidden before, what was stopping it from returning the same way after she threw it away?

The thought of destroying it sprung to her mind. Immediately, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She looked at the camera over her shoulder. No, destroying it wasn't an option either.

Perhaps if she locked it away in her room, it wouldn't bother her anymore…

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Velvet jumped in fright, giving a bewildered glance at Anesidora – _it knew!_ She looked around, looking for anything to defend herself with. She doubted Anesidora would allow her to use the powers it had gifted her against it. Even if it did, they probably wouldn't be of much help.

There was a second knock, then a third. At the fourth, Velvet came to her senses. Whoever was knocking probably wasn't there to murder her on behalf of a camera – even if said camera was absolutely diabolical. No, more likely standing on the other side of the door was…

_Coco?_

Velvet ran to the door and threw it open, her breath catching in her throat – only for her hope to deflate completely as she met eyes with Dew Gayl, standing on the hallway with an anxious look on her face.

"Dew," Velvet said, taking a small step back. "Hi."

"Velvet! I'm so glad to see you!" Dew said, and pulled Velvet into a tight hug, much to her surprise. "I tried calling but you wouldn't pick up. I got scared something bad had happened!"

Confused and not knowing what else to do, Velvet gave Dew a clumsy pat to her back. Dew let go of her and looked around, seemingly startling when she noticed she'd stepped over the threshold.

"I'm sorry, can I come inside?" Dew asked.

"You already are," Velvet said. "I mean, yeah."

Dew nodded apologetically and walked past her into the living room. Velvet closed the door, then turned to look at the blonde, a frown appearing on her forehead.

"Your apartment is really cozy," Dew said politely, even as she rubbed her hands nervously. "Did you decorate it?"

"Not really. Coco did all the work. I just, ah, gave my uninformed opinion about some stuff," Velvet said. "So, Dew. Uh… What are you doing here? At this hour?"

"Right!" Dew exclaimed, as if she couldn't be more relieved to get past the pleasantries. "I came to talk with Coco. Is she here? I'm worried about her."

"She's… she's not here, no," Velvet said, feeling like there was a stone lodged inside her throat. "Why, why are you worried?"

"She called me early. It must have been five in the morning or something. She sounded really distressed, and she asked me if we could talk, so I told her to come over to my place," Dew said. "But, she never showed up. I called and texted her, but she didn't respond."

Velvet took a moment to reply, trying to ignore her speeding heart. "Maybe she changed her mind?"

"I thought so. But, I don't know. She sounded really unlike herself on the phone," Dew said. "Velvet, did something happen?"

"We… We had a fight," Velvet said. Her eyes strayed to Anesidora. "It got bad. Really bad."

"Oh." Dew frowned. "Are you okay, Velvet?"

Velvet grit her teeth. Was _she_ okay? What did it matter if she was okay? She was the one who had hurt Coco, not the other way around! And who knows where Coco was now, and doing what. The only thing Velvet ought to feel was guilt, and she was already doing spectacularly on that department.

"I'm fine," Velvet said. "We need to find Coco."

"Yes, we do," Dew agreed readily. "She wasn't at the University, but I didn't stay there long. I came here as soon as I realized she hadn't showed up for class. But I should look there again. And I think I can get help from our classmates too."

"O-okay," Velvet said. "I know some places she likes. I can check those."

"Actually, maybe it would be better if you stayed here, in case she shows up," Dew said.

"What? No!" Velvet exclaimed. "She ran off because of me! I need to look for her!"

"Velvet, I don't wanna upset you, but I think it would be better for you and Coco if you helped from here," Dew said. "You're not well, Velvet. Look in the mirror."

"I'm going to help," Velvet said obstinately.

" _From here_ ," Dew repeated. "Velvet, just think about this – how would Coco feel if you got hurt because you went looking for her? That would just make things even worse."

Velvet pursed her lips. She hated that Dew was right. She felt so _powerless_.

"Take a rest, clear your head," Dew said, putting a hand on Velvet's shoulder. "I'll come back with Coco, and then you two can work out whatever happened. Okay?"

"…Okay. Just… Just find her fast, please," Velvet said. "I can't even stand to imagine what she's going through right now."

* * *

"Are you sure I can't get you anything?" Russel asked tenderly. "Anything at all. How about some water? Or how about I make you a sandwich – you look a little hungry, don't you? Not that I think you're eating all the time or something. I mean, you look really in shape and all…"

He trailed off, clasping his hands nervously near his waist, and gave her his best impression of a gentleman's smile. He didn't do such a good job, but his ambition was commendable. Overall, he was being rather sweet to Coco.

Or he would have been, if it weren't for his keeping her tied to a chair, wrists and ankles bound by copious amounts of rope, in a dank shed in the middle of who-knows-where, surrounded by dozens upon dozens of likely-unstable Dust firearms on every wall. That tended to make a girl rather nervous, not to mention irritable.

That, and he just wouldn't stop babbling on.

"Here's one thing you can do for me," Coco said through gritted teeth. "First, get a knife and cut these ropes. Let me have a walk around to get my blood pumping again. And then hand me the knife, so I can stab you in the gut with it." She smiled back at him, batting her eyelashes. "Won't you do that for me, handsome?"

Russel's smile crumbled, and he rubbed his arm anxiously. "Uhm. I think I'll, uh, have to… _not_ do that," he said slowly, before he perked up again. "But how about I loosen your ropes a bit instead? Now that you mention them, they do look a little tight. That can't be good for your circulation. Would that make you happy?"

Coco leaned her head back and groaned. What would it take for this guy to get a hint? If only she could get _one_ leg free… His crotch was _right there_. If that didn't shut him up, nothing would.

"Russel, you moron," Dove said, sitting on the floor in a corner of the shed. He had a rifle on his lap which he had been putting back together after some studying, though now his attention had shifted entirely to Coco and Russel – the latter in particular. He seemed almost as aggravated as Coco, which was rather impressive. "You can't loosen the ropes. They're there for a reason. The girl's our hostage, not your friend, remember?"

"Well, why can't she be both?" Russel asked, crossing his arms. "We've been getting along okay so far. And it's not like you would try to run away or anything, right, Coco?"

"I would get free in a heartbeat," Coco said. "And then I would take one of those guns and bash your empty skull in with it."

Russel looked down at his feet, disheartened. Dove shook his head and started fiddling with his gun again, though now he kept one eye on his partner-in-crime.

"So I'm a hostage, huh?" Coco said. "What does _that_ mean?"

Russel opened his mouth to talk, but Dove cut him off fast. "It means nothing to you."

Russel looked at Coco and shrugged apologetically. "Cardin wouldn't like it if we told you." He rolled his eyes. "Not that I care how he feels. I just don't want him bitching at me because I spoiled his _grand plan_ or whatever."

"Yeah," Dove said, gesturing dismissively at Coco. "You should just be quiet."

"Oh, I'll be quiet, don't you worry," Coco said. "You're the one who's gonna be _screaming_!"

She jerked forward in her chair, but all that did was rock it a bit and make her wrists sting because of the ropes. She blew a strand of hair from her eyes, then glared intensely at Dove, who jumped a little and nearly dropped his gun.

"Woah," Russel said, staring at Coco like she was a being descended from the heavens. "You're like… _woah_ …"

Coco whirled her head around to glare at him. "I am _what_ , you little weasel?"

"You're just… You're not like any girl I've met before. They're all, like, girly and stuff," Russel said. "But you're different. You could punch the lights out of me and not break a sweat…"

"Trust me, nothing would make me happier right now," Coco grumbled.

" _God_." Russel gasped. "You're single, right?"

Coco just scowled at him. She had reached a level of anger and disgust such that she couldn't even express herself anymore. He wasn't even _trying_ to be subtle anymore, for God's sake.

"Dude. Can you just, like, drop it already?" Dove said, throwing his hands up. "She's not into you. She'll _never_ be into you!"

"You don't know that!" Russel exclaimed, turning around to face Dove. "You're just jealous that I'm making conversation with her. You know, at least _I'm_ making an effort, while you're just sitting miserably there in your corner!"

"Jealous of what, how stupid you are?!" Dove tossed the gun off his lap and jumped to his feet. "Use your brain for a second, man! Forget the kidnapping, she has no reason to like you at all. She's probably been lezzing out with that freak roommate of hers or whoever, and she'd never even consider-"

"That's just because she doesn't know what a _real_ man is like!" Russel declared, putting his hands on his hips. "I could show her, if she just gave me the chance."

"Oh, right, _you_ , a real man," Dove scoffed. "You probably have a point. She'd probably like you more than most men, seeing as you're a little sissy."

"Well look who's talking!" Russel shouted.

" _Fucking hell_ ," Coco blurted out, and the two boys stopped arguing and looked at her. "Never in my life have I been witnesses to such pure stupidity and ignorance. I can _feel_ my braincells decaying faster every time one of you opens their mouth. Please, shoot me. Put me out of my misery. Or, for crying out loud, _kiss already_."

Russel and Dove turned red, and in an instant, they were arguing near-incoherently at each other and at her. Coco turned her eyes to the ceiling, feeling utterly drained. Why couldn't she have been kidnapped by someone _actually_ threatening?

The boys' collective blabbering stopped as suddenly as it had begun, leaving a silence that was broken only by a strange noise outside the shed – like that of an industrial machine coming to life. Coco followed the boys' stare to the door, just in time to see it open fully, and Cardin to come through the threshold.

Except it wasn't just Cardin. Well, it was just him, but a version of him so surreal, Coco wondered for a moment if she hadn't been given some drugs while she'd been out cold.

Cardin Winchester, the notorious high school bully which _she_ had beaten into the ground more than a handful of times in her life, was wearing a full metal suit, with a notable glow at the chest, like that of alive Dust. The armor made him look even taller than he already was. And the look on his eyes…

Perhaps it was because she was tied defenseless to a chair, but Coco was finding it harder to take her kidnappers for a joke now.

"What's this all about?" Cardin asked, scowling at Russel and Dove. "I heard shouting, from outside the shed. You two care to explain yourselves?"

"We… well, we, uh…" Dove started to say, only for his voice to fade away. He looked at Russel for help, with a clear warning in his eyes.

"We were just…" Russel seemed to grow more panicked with every silent second, until an idea came to him and he raised a finger genially. "…playing thumb war!"

"And you got into a shouting match over it?" Cardin's scowl grew even harsher. "You were putting our location at risk over a game of thumb war. Seriously?"

He closed a fist, and from between his fingers escaped a bright red glow. Russel swallowed nervously. "We may have kinda gotten into it a bit too much…"

"Yeah," Dove said. "Sorry about that… boss."

Cardin was silent for a moment, as if he was considering whether to accept that apology. Finally, he waved a hand dismissively, which was a huge gesture in his get-up.

"So," Dove said, with obvious relief. "The armor's still fine? It didn't get damaged in the explosion?"

"There's a few annoying kinks, but me and Sky got it into working condition," Cardin said. He rolled his shoulders, and the movement was accompanied by a loud clicking noise, which Coco guessed was not an intended feature of the armor. "It's in a good enough state for today. And I doubt we'll even need it, anyway."

He shot his friends a doubtful look, before he finally turned his attention to Coco. He walked over to her, standing tall in front of her cell, and his lips slowly opened into a smile. Coco raised her chin and met his eyes impetuously. High-tech armor or not, she refused to be intimidated by the likes of him.

"Coco Adel," he said. "How long has it been…"

"Winchester. Not long enough, unfortunately," Coco replied. "Please don't use my full name. You don't deserve the honor."

"Oh, look. She hasn't changed either," Cardin said. "Alone, with no way to defend yourself, and you still don't know when to shut your mouth."

"I know. It's a bit of a problem. You, on other hand, never seemed to have any trouble with that sort of thing," Coco said. "But I guess I used to do all your work for you. Hard to talk shit when your face's in the dirt."

Cardin raised a hand, bringing it dangerously close to Coco's face. She flinched, but didn't break eye contact.

"Keep up the tough act. Let's see how long it lasts," Cardin said. "You know why you're here?"

"Because you're a psychopath?" Coco answered.

"You're my bargaining chip," Cardin said. "You see, your little friend Velvet has been poking her nose where it doesn't belong lately. She's been messing with me, and guess what, now I gotta clean up the damage and teach her a lesson to boot. And _you_ are gonna help me with that."

Coco faltered. "You abducted me because of Velvet?"

"Exactly." Cardin grinned. "Sucks, doesn't it? You didn't do anything wrong, but here you are, being punished because of the massive screw-up that your friend is…"

Coco looked to the side, a cold feeling sinking down her body. Of course Velvet was the reason behind all of this. She'd known it all along, she just hadn't wanted to connect the dots. And now that she was forced to, it hurt her to the core.

"Goddamn damsel in distress, then," she muttered. "Is that right?"

Cardin's smile widened. "Pretty much, yeah."

"Unbelievable. That girl, I swear…"

Coco looked up at Cardin, wrapping her hands tightly around the arms of her chair.

"You touch a hair on her body," she said. "…and I will put you in the ground. For good."

For just a moment, Cardin seemed shaken, his smile fading entirely and being replaced by a look of doubt. But then he took a step back and, assuming a surer expression, gestured at her emphatically.

"Looks like I chose the right tactic after all," he said. "Let's get the ball rolling, then. Someone get me her phone."

* * *

Velvet had almost forgotten how it felt to be useless. It was an awful feeling, like something cold had taken hold of every inch of her body and hollowed out a void inside her. No matter where she looked, no matter what she did, her mind could only focus on one simple fact.

Coco was in danger, and it was solely her fault.

And here she was, sitting paralyzed in her living room, when she should be doing something. Fixing the situation. Getting up, getting out, and facing the world head on with only bravery in her heart. Exactly what she had been doing for weeks, until today, when it mattered most.

How foolish had she been, to ever have thought she had grown.

_Brrr!_

Velvet nearly jumped out her skin as her phone suddenly came alive in her pocket. She blinked a couple times, slowly coming out of her stupor, and took her phone out. When she looked at the screen, she froze-

_Coco_.

-and then, like a hundred fireworks were going off at once inside of her, all she could feel was relief. Her phone nearly slipped between her fingers as she hurried to accept the call, then brought it up to her ear.

"Coco! It's really you?" she exclaimed. "Where are you? I'm so, so sorry about everything I said-"

" _Woah. Slow down, baby girl._ " A male voice, obviously not Coco's, replied." _You and your friend can make up later. If things work out, of course. That's all up to you._ "

"W-who is this?" Velvet slowly got up from the sofa, supporting herself on trembling legs. "C-Cardin?"

" _That's right. I'm happy you recognized my voice. Though I guess that's no surprise, since you've been_ stalking me for weeks _._ "

Velvet felt her heart drop. This was bad. Beyond bad. It was terrible. Awful. Horrifying-

" _Let's cut through the bullshit,_ " Cardin said. " _I've got your roommate. If you want her back unharmed, you're gonna do exactly as I say. Got it, Scarlatina?_ "

"You've got Coco?" Velvet fell back on the couch, suddenly feeling lightheaded. "You've got her? Y-you didn't hurt her, right? H-how can I know you're not lying-"

" _Because – screw this, I'm not gonna… I don't need to prove anything to you!_ " Cardin said." _Are you really not gonna believe me and risk getting her hurt? Huh? I mean, I can make her scream if you need extra motivation-_ "

"Don't! I-I'll do whatever you want!" Velvet exclaimed.

" _Good_ ," Cardin said. " _So you've been stalking me. Tracking me, taking pictures of me, that kinda stuff. And last night…._ " He paused. " _You blew up my stuff. Almost killed me._ You _did that, didn't you, Velvet?_ "

"Yes," Velvet said. "I'm sorry…"

" _Oh! You're sorry!_ " Cardin shouted. " _Everything's fine, then! I guess my life's not completely destroyed after all, since you're_ sorry _!_ "

Velvet flinched.

" _Here's what you're gonna do_ ," Cardin said. " _I'm gonna send you an address, and you're gonna go there. You're gonna bring your stupid camera too, with all the photos you took. We're gonna make an exchange, the camera for your friend. And if you behave yourself, that's all that's gonna need to happen. Got it?_ "

"Okay…" Velvet muttered.

" _And don't try to pull a fast one on me. I'm gonna find out, and the next time I'm not gonna be so polite_ ," Cardin said. " _And if you're not there in two hours, I'll… I'll start taking off fingers. From your friend. O-one for each hour!_ "

"Alright, I got it! I'll be there, just don't hurt her!"

" _Do as you're told, and I won't have to. You've been warned._ "

Cardin hung up, and Velvet almost burst into tears. She managed to hold herself together, though, and glanced at her phone again to see two text messages from Coco's phone pop up.

The first one was an address – or, more accurately, a red mark on an overhead shot of the Emerald Forest. Velvet giggled deliriously. Well wasn't that some delightful irony!

The second message contained a badly lighted picture of Coco tied to a chair. Velvet stared at it for a moment, at Coco's eyes, filled with a cold rage that most certainly wasn't directed at her, but that nonetheless filled Velvet with renewed guilt.

Velvet wiped her eyes and stood up. There was no time to feel sorry for yourself. Coco was in danger, and now Velvet knew what she needed to do to help her. She walked around the sofa to the living room table, where she had left Anesidora since morning.

Once again, she could almost feel the camera staring back at her. Except this time, she felt something new coming from it, an emotion spoken through an invisible connection between the two of them. Velvet couldn't decide whether it was solidarity or conceit, that she had come back to it after everything.

Regardless, Velvet picked up Anesidora and put it around her neck.

"I need your help," she told it. "One last time."

* * *

"She took the bait," Cardin said, tossing the phone aside carelessly. He stepped back into his suit and waited for it to close around him, grimacing as the left arm struggled to lock together once again, then pointed at Sky. "We need to get moving. You come with me, we're gonna do one last sweep of the area to make sure we're clear. Russel and Dove, you two get the girl ready for transport. Bring her to the meeting spot in twenty minutes."

Dove nodded and moved towards Coco, who was still glaring furiously at him. It was a little disturbing, but he could hardly care anymore. He had more pressing matters to be worried about.

"Are we really gonna… take off her fingers?" Russel asked, looking between Cardin and the hostage. "That sounds a little extreme, don't you think?"

"I had to tell her _something_. And the idiot bought it, so." Cardin frowned. "We'll have to do something if she doesn't show up. If you don't like the fingers idea, then you come up with something better."

"I'm just saying…" Russel started, but shut up when he saw the look on Cardin's face, and joined Dove silently.

Cardin ground his teeth together. Why did everyone have to have a problem with what he was doing _now_? They all had been happy to coast along while things were easy, but hit one bump on the road, and suddenly mutiny was all they could think about.

He turned around, eager to get out of the shed and their presence, only to be met with Sky's similarly doubtful face.

"Uhm, boss…" Sky said slowly. "Are you sure about all of this? I mean, I trust you, but… Aren't we taking things a little too far?"

Cardin narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?"

"I mean, things l-look bad on our end," Sky said, starting to stammer. "But that's why we have your dad, right? He said he was gonna take care of everything. We're probably just making the situation w-"

Cardin lashed out with his arm, hitting Sky across the chest with the back of his armored hand and knocking him to the floor.

" _I_ am taking care of everything!" he shouted. "I brought us this far, didn't I? My father didn't have anything to do with it! So if things are going to shit, then I'm gonna fix it! And if that means getting rid of one stupid girl-"

He leaned down and grabbed Sky by the arm, then hoisted him back to his feet without a hint of gentleness.

"Just shut up, and do what I tell you to do," Cardin said, and pointed at Dove and Russel. "And that counts for you two too. I don't want a peep from any of you."

Coco grinned mockingly. "Now _that_ , is prime leadership material."

Cardin opened the palm of his hand and raised it the slightest bit, then shot a Dust beam from it. The projectile missed Coco's head by inches and blew a hole in the back of the shed, leaving a smoking trail behind it.

Silence reigned in the shed as Sky, Russel and Dove looked from the hole to him, scared beyond speech. The fire in Coco's eyes hadn't faded, but her face was as pale as a sheet, and it was impossible to miss how heavily she was breathing now.

"Anyone else wanna crack a joke?" Cardin asked. "…Good."

He turned around and left the shed with heavy steps.

* * *

Velvet arrived at the clearing, coalescing from a storm of petals into her physical self. She leaned on her knees, struggling to catch her breath at the same time that she looked around herself. The spot wasn't too far beyond the natural edge of the Emerald Forest, but it was remote enough that there was little chance of anyone stumbling upon it by accident. She supposed that was why Cardin had chosen this spot – and he was likely hiding all his weapons in the Forest, too, now that she thought about it.

But where was Cardin? Her heart quickened as she stood up fully and took another step into the clearing. She was sure this was the location he'd given her, and she was on time for the exchange. In fact, she was nearly an hour early. Had… had he tricked her?

A strident noise echoed through the forest, and Velvet saw, for just a fraction of a second, a beam of red Dust come shooting out of the trees ahead of her. She had no time to dodge, but by fortune or design, she didn't have to – the beam whizzed past her side and exploded against a tree behind her, cracking its trunk in half and setting the whole of it on fire in an instant.

Velvet whirled back around and saw Cardin walk out of the trees, wearing his stolen Centurion armor.

"That was a warning shot," he said loudly, so his voice carried across the clearing, and showed her the glowing palm of his right hand. "So you know I mean business."

Velvet looked back at the burning tree, then at him again. "W-wasn't the part with the kidnapping a-and the fingers enough?"

Cardin stopped in his tracks, and even from such a distance, Velvet saw his face closing in displeasure, and she swallowed dry. She should probably just keep her mouth shut, even if she was anxious as all hell.

Cardin gestured over his shoulder, and a light emerged from the trees behind him. A few seconds later, his half-damaged truck slowly drove out of it, stopping at his side. Sky hopped out of the driver's seat, while Dove and Russel came out of the other side.

"You got here fast," Cardin said. "You gonna try anything funny?" Velvet shook her head. "Bring out the girl."

Dove went to the back of the truck, and returned a few seconds later, pulling Coco along by the arm. Her wrists were tied together by rope, and her mouth was covered in duct tape, but even so, there was barely a trace of fear on her. She met Velvet's eyes for a second, before she glared at Cardin and his buddies.

"Here's how this is gonna work," Cardin said. "You're gonna walk right there to the center. Russel here is gonna take your camera, and Dove is gonna hand off your friend. No funny business – you know I can shoot you anytime!"

"Okay." Velvet raised her hands high, hoping to show him she wasn't going to make any trouble. "A-and after?"

"After, you two go home, and you never talk about any of this ever again," Cardin said. "Remember how I warned you the first time, Velvet? Well here's what happens when you don't listen. So _get the message_ , this time."

Velvet nodded, and slowly started walking forward. Cardin gestured to Dove and Russel, and the two broke from the group, leading Coco between them. They met in the middle, and Russel put out his hand, beckoning Velvet to do her part. With trembling fingers, Velvet removed Anesidora from around her neck, and gave it to him.

The instant the camera left her grip, a shockwave passed through Velvet. She stared fixedly at Anesidora, revulsion building inside her as Russel turned it over in his hands, examining it as if it were some _toy_.

"Here, you take her now," Dove said, letting go of Coco's arm and shoving her forward.

Velvet tore her eyes away from Anesidora and caught Coco, her arms immediately wrapping around her. Coco said something that was undecipherable behind the duct tape and thumped Velvet's belly with her tied-up hands.

"Sorry, sorry," Velvet said, taking a step back. She tried to dismantle the ropes on Coco, but gave up after a few unsuccessful tries and started to lead her away instead. "We'll work on that later, sorry. I'm just so happy you're okay!"

Coco made some kind of gesture with her hands, then flicked her eyes towards her mouth, before staring incredulously at Velvet.

"Right! Sorry!" Velvet looked back at Cardin and his gang, who had gathered back at their side of the clearing, seemingly not paying any attention to them anymore. She looked at Coco again and reached for the tape on her mouth. "Uhm, this might hurt a little."

Coco rolled her eyes and raised her chin a bit, giving Velvet a better angle. Velvet braced herself, then with one pull, ripped the duct tape off Coco's face.

" _Motherf_ -" Coco doubled over, hissing in pain, and punched Velvet's leg. "Velvet, you idiot! You absolute numskull! Why the hell did you come?!"

"What! What else was I supposed to do?!" Velvet exclaimed. "They were going to hurt you!"

"Shut up! You're such a-" Coco groaned, picking up her pace. "Let's just get out of here. If you weren't such a loveable idiot, I would be yelling at you _so much_ right now!"

"You're already yelling at me!" Velvet protested.

"Well then take a hint and get us out of this place already, before we get blown into pieces!"

* * *

"So, now we just gotta destroy it," Sky said. "Right?"

Cardin stared at the camera in Russel's hands. He opened and closed his fists, throwing a glance back at the girls, who were making a beeline out of the clearing.

"No," he said, scowling. "It's evidence."

"Uh… Yes, it _is_ evidence," Dove noted. "Which is exactly _why_ we shoulddestroy it."

"No. It's evidence on us, sure," Cardin said. "But also on who was messing with us. Without it, we can't prove that it was Scarlatina that exploded our stuff."

"Why would we need to prove that?" Russel asked, confused. "Wouldn't that incriminate us first?"

Cardin turned around, tired of trying to explain himself. He would destroy the camera, but only after he'd shown it to his father. Once he had the proof that he'd put the right person in the ground.

He raised his hands, pointing them at the retreating girls, and started to gather energy. After the damage that had been done to it, the bulk of the armor wasn't enough to fully protect him from the heat anymore, and blisters started to form on his hands. The source of all that energy, the Core located in the Centurion's chest, was also fluctuating wildly. He was aware of all of that, but he kept charging anyway.

"Uh, Cardin," Russel said. "What are you doing?"

"Tying up loose ends," Cardin muttered.

"Cardin. Dude. I don't like those two either, but I _think_ they got the message already," Dove said, taking a step back. "How about you get out of that armor before-"

"I _need_ to do this!" Cardin shouted. " _SHUT UP!_ "

He released the energy, and it streaked across the clearing in a flash of searing red. Velvet whipped her head around and jumped in front of Coco, and an instant later, they were overtaken by fire and smoke.

* * *

Velvet fell on the ground, the blast shattering her hastily conjured glyph and knocking her off her feet with the ensuing shockwave. She got on her knees and looked around, covering her mouth and nose with her arm as the smoke closed in around her.

"Coco!" Velvet called, only to cough as something immediately invaded her nostrils. She rose to her feet and tried to limp away, but she could hardly see where she was going with the blackness that surrounded her.

Suddenly, an arm closed around her waist from behind, pushing her away from the center of the explosion. She blinked her bleary eyes until finally, she made out Coco beside her.

"What the hell was that?!" Velvet shouted.

"I told you we needed to get out of here!" Coco said. "The dude is an actual lunatic! Come on, let's get away before he realizes we're not dead!"

She tried pulling Velvet out of the smoke, but Velvet resisted, digging her heels into the dirt and gesturing behind her.

"We can't! He's just gonna keep pursuing us," Velvet said. "And when he figures out we escaped, he's gonna come after us again."

"That's why we have the police!" Coco exclaimed. "You know, those people you should have gotten involved from the start!"

"It's a little too late for that. Also, he has a super-armor-thingy!" Velvet said.

Coco threw her arms in the air. "The Hunt, then! They deal with this sorta thing all the time!"

"Do you have them on speed-dial?"

Coco gave Velvet her most murderous look and tried to grab her again, but Velvet avoided her touch and put a hand between them.

"You get away from here," Velvet said. "I'll deal with Cardin."

Coco started to protest, but Velvet listened to none of it, turning her back and running in the other direction. She passed through smoke and flame, holding a hand in front of her face to protect herself, until she came into open air again. She immediately made eye contact with Cardin, who was still standing at the other end of the clearing, his suit glowing with energy.

"You!" he yelled. "You're still alive! How?!"

Velvet took a stance, raising her hands in preparation, even as her heart went off like a drum. "What can I say, I'm annoyingly persistent." She paused. "Actually, that's a lie. I'm very weak-willed. I guess you just _really_ pissed me off."

Cardin lifted his arms and fired off another Dust beam. Now that she was prepared for it, Velvet summoned a glyph well in time to block it, and this time it didn't shatter immediately. Her feet left trails in the dirt as she was dragged back, her elbows trembling under the pressure of maintaining the glyph.

Exerting every ounce of strength she had in her, she managed to turn the glyph over her head and give it a mighty shove, upon which it dissolved, and the Dust beam went flying into the sky, where it eventually faded from view.

"Holy shit," Cardin said. "You're actually one of them."

Velvet let her arms drop to her sides, her bones aching. _Thanks, that's some high praise_.

"This changes nothing! I'll just have to wipe you out up close and personal!" Cardin stepped forward and gestured to the side. "You three, go find the other one!"

Sky, Russel and Dove ran from behind him, heading into the woods with rifles in hand, but Velvet could do nothing about that as Cardin came sprinting towards her, the weight of his armor causing the ground to shake with every step he took.

Suddenly, Velvet remembered that she had never been in a fight before in her life. At least not one where she'd had any ability to hurt the other person back. And regardless of superpowers, a Centurion-class armor barreling towards her was not a pleasant prospect, especially with who was piloting it.

"Come here!" Cardin roared, skidding towards her and swinging a hand towards her like a claw.

Velvet jumped to the side, turning into petals for a split second to slip between the thick metal fingers, and Cardin nearly tumbled down with the misplaced momentum. She turned around to face him and hopped back, ears shot up in panic.

"Y-you'll have to catch me first!" she shouted, and ran towards the woods as Cardin got back on his feet. A streak of red passed by her by an inch, and a tree caught fire in front of her, sending flaming splinters flying everywhere. Velvet bent her head to protect her eyes and dived into the cover of the forest, using a surge of speed to make more distance.

Even so, Cardin made follow easily, delving between the tress after her, bashing aside trunks with his shoulders. Velvet couldn't see him, but she could feel each movement he made, and she could sense the manic energy that possessed him in his pursuit. He wasn't just her high school bully anymore, he was almost a monster, driven solely by his need to catch her at all costs.

"Stop. Running!" Another blast went off behind Velvet, and this time it grazed her shoulder, sending her off balance. She grit her teeth and skidded to the right, taking a turn too sharp for him to immediately follow, then turned around and raised her hands towards his hulkish form. She couldn't run forever!

_How does she do it, again?_ Velvet joined her hands and formed a glyph, then waved it around cluelessly. _Ice beam! Hello? Borrowed Schnee powers?_

But no matter what she did, her glyph did nothing more than the usual. Before she could do anything, Cardin was upon her again, swinging a punch that broke through the barrier and caught her on the chest.

She should have been dead then and there, or at least severely injured, but by some miracle she was only sent flying back, stunned and confused, but completely whole, until she hit the trunk of a tree and fell to the ground.

"How are you not dead?" Cardin asked, stomping towards her. "What the hell are you?"

"Y-you said it yourself," Velvet stammered, rising back to her feet. "I'm a Hun- _eep_!"

She jumped aside, narrowly avoiding another punch. Cardin screamed wordlessly, his fist having gone through the tree. With him temporarily stuck, Velvet stepped back slowly, trying to figure out what to do. She wasn't strong enough to damage Cardin's armor on her own, and for whatever reason, she couldn't replicate Weiss Schnee's powers exactly. If she had had more time before this confrontation, she would have filled up her arsenal at bit more at home.

_I should have used the speed to grab Anesidora_.

Her eyes lit up with an idea. Leaving Cardin at the tree, Velvet turned and ran away from him, keeping herself together when her body started to split into petals. Then suddenly, she made a sharp return, sprinting back the way she'd come, the world nothing but a mess of colors around her. Cardin came into focus, and she prepared to jump-

Her fist met with the side of his helmet, and he was launched away, breaking the tree he had been stuck to and barreling through several others on his way. At the same time, Velvet fell back to the ground, clutching her wrist and holding back a pained cry.

_I didn't think this through_. _But at least I got him_.

She immediately regretted thinking that, as like a giant awakening from a thousand-year sleep, Cardin got back up and started walking back towards her. The side of his helmet was dented, and she could see a trickle of blood running down his forehead, but he was more furious than ever.

"You know what. I'm so goddamn tired of you." He pointed a hand at her, and his armor started to glow again. Although Velvet noted that it didn't do so as brightly as before, and the chest in particular was much fainter. "Just _die_ already."

"Again with this?" Velvet got back up and gave a tired sigh. "Alright, fine. Give me your best shot."

She raised her hands to conjure another glyph. Except none came. Velvet looked down at her hands and shook them a bit, horror dawning on her as she slowly realized what was happening.

_I ran out_.

Cardin released his blast, hitting her perfectly.

* * *

"See? I told you she had superpowers," Russel said. "But no, none of you would believe me. Everyone just looked at me like I'm a crazy person."

"Dove believed you," Sky pointed out.

"Not really. But he did vouch for me. Actually-"

Coco jumped out from behind her tree and punched him in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. She snatched his rifle from his fingers before he realized what was going on, then backed away, aiming at Sky, who was already aiming back at her.

"Well, what do we have here. A classic showdown at sunset," Coco said. "Except it's not sunset, and like hell that I'm gonna let you put up a fight with me."

She turned her aim to Russel, who froze midway through getting up.

"You wouldn't!" Sky said.

"Oh, I would." Coco jerked forward, making them flinch. "Wanna try me?"

"You're not that kinda person!" Sky insisted.

"He's right! You're good, and smart, and beautiful. You're not like the sorry lot of us!" Russel said. "And I offered to make you a sandwich!"

Sky nodded fervently. "Yeah, come on, he offered to make you a sandwich!"

"Stop crying. Just toss your gun over to me, or else I _will_ shoot your friend," Coco said.

Sky looked at Russel for a moment, then gave a heavy sigh and started to lower his rifle.

"Don't!" Dove shouted, appearing behind Coco and slowly circling around her with his rifle aimed at her. "It's three against one. She's screwed."

"You really think three's enough to take me down?" Coco said. "You'll be lucky to leave with your lives."

"Don't let her get to you. She's bluffing," Dove said. "You know you can't do anything without getting shot yourself. Just surrender and you won't get hurt."

Coco stepped back, looking at each of the boys in turn, becoming increasingly annoyed at the turn of events. She should have known brute strength wasn't going to work. She needed a different tactic.

"Hey," she said, gesturing at Sky with her gun. "Did you know these two are madly in love with each other?"

"What!" Russel blurted out, turning red. "N-no we're not. Stop saying that stuff already."

"Yeah. You don't know what you're talking about," Dove said, nodding firmly.

Sky looked at the two of them leisurely, then faced Coco again and shrugged. "I mean, yeah, it's pretty obvious. What about it?"

"We're not-"

"Chill out already." Sky scowled at Russel. "Jeez. I don't get what's the big fuss. Aren't you guys with the time?"

"The big fuss is that your boss _isn't_ ," Coco said. "You see, I've been trying to figure out which one of you three is the most pathetic. But I'm starting to think you're all on equal ground. Your _best friend_ doesn't give a crap about any of you. He treats you like dogs. And here you are, putting your young lives on the line for him. If that's not the saddest thing I have ever heard, then I don't know what is."

A heavy silence fell, and Coco had to keep herself from smirking in triumph.

"You guys really feel that way about Cardin?" Sky asked.

"I don't know, man. He's pretty nasty with people," Russel said, frowning. "But maybe he'd be cool with us."

"Don't kid yourself. He'd never talk to us again." Dove shook his head. "You too, Sky. All he needs is a reason."

"So we're agreed. Cardin Winchester is a certified asshole," Coco said. "So how about you three stop taking his orders, and help me save my best friend from him instead?"

The boys looked at each other for a moment, then nodded in agreement and gathered close to Coco.

"Good," Coco said. "So, first order of business will be-"

She took her rifle and smacked Dove in the head with it, knocking him out cold. As Russel and Sky jumped in surprise, she spun around and casually did the same to them, then stared at the three boys splayed on the forest floor around her.

"Suckers."

* * *

Velvet dragged herself behind a tree and put her back to it. The sound of crunched leaves whispered in her ears as Cardin strolled past somewhere close. She brought her knuckles to her mouth and bit down hard, fighting back a coughing fit.

If he found her, she was done for. She had run out of borrowed powers, including Ruby Rose's – which she doubted she could have used anyway, in the state she was. While she'd been able to endure Cardin's attacks earlier during the battle, just that last blast seemed to have drained all her strength and left her body an agonized mess. If he got another good hit in…

"So you're hiding now. Got tired of running?" Cardin called out, and she shrunk at the sound of his voice. "Guess it's the old survival instincts kicking in, eh? You never could outrun me. Which is pretty unfair if you ask me, what with you being a bunny and all-"

He was cut off by the sound of wood breaking. Velvet peered over the side of her tree and saw Cardin removing his left arm from another. As he took it back, the trunk split apart and fell to the side, revealing nothing behind it. He looked at his arm and grimaced, then started walking again. Velvet hid again.

"I'm gonna find you eventually, you know. I know you can't run," Cardin said. "Why don't you make this easier on both of us and just show yourself? I promise I won't make it hurt."

Velvet looked around. There had to be something she could to stop him. He was right, he would find her _eventually_. And when he did, she would hardly be able to put up a fight.

"This isn't personal, Velvet. It never was. I know it sounds fake, but it's really the truth," Cardin said. "I didn't want for any of this to happen. It's not like I'm happy that I have to hurt you. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time – and then you had to come and fuck everything up for me, and now I gotta-"

Velvet blinked. Wait, there was something wrong. Something about his armor that she'd seen during that brief glimpse.

"I didn't ask for this, Velvet!" Cardin shouted suddenly. "Just come out and end this thing!"

His arm. It wasn't getting enough energy. The Centurion took the energy from the Dust Core on its chest and spread it evenly to the rest of the armor. The explosion at Cardin's house must have damaged the armor, and now the energy wasn't being distributed properly anymore. If she could somehow use that to her advantage…

"There you are."

Cardin closed his hand around her arm and yanked her from behind the tree. He dragged her in a half-circle, then released her, sending her tumbling to the ground. Velvet spun onto her back and tried to crawl away, but he appeared in front of her immediately, pointing his glowing right hand at her.

"See?" he said, and a pained look flashed across his face. "Was that so hard?"

Velvet lifted herself on her elbows. She knew she should be so afraid that she couldn't even speak, but all she felt was an odd sense of calm.

Was that what everyone felt right before they died?

"I'm really sorry about this," Cardin grunted. "Really."

Velvet looked up at his face and frowned. She would have believed him, if she didn't know better. "How is this not personal?"

"I'm telling you it's not. I _have_ to do this," Cardin said. "I was going to do something great. Everything was going perfectly until you showed up. You just _had_ to ruin everything."

"You weren't doing something great," Velvet said. "Stealing weapons? Selling them to criminals?"

"They were just the middlemen. Just means to an end until I figured out something better," Cardin said.

"Oh yeah? So you were just going to _figure it out_ , and everything would be okay? Nobody was going to get hurt, ever." Velvet shook her head. "You weren't going to, for sure. You were going to get filthy rich, that's all."

"It was not about the money!" Cardin yelled, spit flying from his mouth. "Fuck this. You would never understand. No one ever understands. You wanna treat me like the bad guy, then fine, let me show you a bad-"

"Oh, cry me a river."

A white light flashed across the clearing, and Cardin stumbled forward, almost falling on top of Velvet. He turned around, and standing between the trees was Coco, a Dust rifle in her hands.

"Done with your sob stories?" Coco asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or should I shoot you again?"

"Coco!" Velvet shouted. "You're amazing!"

"Thanks, babe. They had a minigun that I wanted to try out, but it was too heavy to lift," Coco said. "But this baby should suffice. Right, Winchester?"

"Shut up! _Shut up_!" Cardin screamed. "You think this is a joke?!"

He blasted Dust from his hands, and Coco dived behind a tree, narrowly avoiding being hit.

Velvet waited anxiously for Cardin to return his attention to her, but he seemed wholly focused on Coco now. She tried to get up, but her ankle flared up and she fell back down. She must have twisted it when Cardin had thrown her down.

"Coco! Aim for the left shoulder!" Velvet yelled.

"What?!" Cardin turned to look at her, and at that moment Coco peeked out and took her shot.

The Dust round landed precisely where Velvet had instructed, and the left arm of the Centurion lost all energy and plopped down stiffly. Cardin spun around, trying desperately to get it to work again, but it refused to move.

"Ready to quit now?" Coco called out from wherever she was hiding now.

"I'm still standing, bitch!" Cardin raised his right hand and started shooting randomly at the trees. The beams were much smaller than before due to their rapid-fire nature, but they still did considerable damage to everything it hit. If just _one_ found Coco…

Velvet's fear rose to new heights as Coco dived out of hiding again – with no weapon in hand. Instead, she swung her arm in a wide arc, throwing something across the clearing. It flew over Cardin, reflecting off the sun's glare for a brief instant, and then Velvet threw herself backward and just barely grabbed it.

Cardin turned around to look at her, his face horrified, as if he expected her to be about to throw a grenade or some such thing at him – but when he saw what she had, he became nothing but perplexed.

"The camera? Seriously?"

Velvet smirked.

Putting on a last surge of strength, she brought herself to her feet and thrust her left arm out to the side. A round shield materialized around her wrist, first glowing a light blue, before turning fully golden.

She ran at Cardin head-on, and before he could do anything, thrust the shield into his right shoulder. The tougher material – the toughest on Remnant, Omnium – tore through the lighter, the rupture made even easier by the fact that the armor's outer shell was already partly damaged. In an instant, the Dust energy that had been flowing to that arm was cut off entirely, and it too fell limp like its left twin.

Velvet stepped back, breathing hard, and the shield vanished. She looked up at Cardin, at the pitiful expression he made behind his visor, and couldn't help but smile mockingly at him.

"Still not personal, asshole?"

Cardin looked at her, his lips parting to reveal gritted teeth, and she saw tears appear in his eyes. "You bitch. I'll kill you with my own hands!"

He wiggled around inside the Centurion, until finally he hit a failsafe, and the armor opened. He got out of it, murder in his eyes, but Velvet caught him by the collar before he was even properly on his feet and threw him on the ground. She straddled his chest and raised a fist above her head.

"You, kill me? How could you?" Velvet brought her fist down on his face. "You're worthless!" She punched again, and felt a satisfying crunch on her knuckles. "Braindead!" Another blow, and blood splattered across her own face. "A waste of air! You'd be better off-"

Her voice failed, a broken sob escaping her mouth. She realized she was crying, and then looked down at Cardin and saw he was crying too.

Hesitantly, she reached down and cupped Cardin's cheek. He recoiled from her touch, then jerked away, dragging himself across the clearing until he lost his strength and collapsed.

Velvet stared at him, feeling cold, until Coco appeared beside her and pulled her to her feet, then held her steady by her shoulders.

"Shit. That was… You okay, Velv?" Coco asked. "I know you hate him, but-"

Velvet took a shaky breath. "It wasn't me." _Not totally_. "It was him."

Coco looked from her to Cardin, slowly coming to understand what Velvet meant. "What do we now? Call the police?"

"No…" Velvet said, and Coco looked at her in confusion.

Velvet slipped away from Coco's hands and limped back to Cardin. She stared at him for a while, before she went down to her knees and shook him by the shoulder.

"Cardin?" she said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Stop it," Cardin croaked. He winced and turned on his side, curling up on the ground. "Just leave me alone."

"I'm sorry. I understand, okay?"

She leaned over him and wrapped her arms around him the best she could.

"I understand."

* * *

Velvet and Coco dropped on the couch, releasing a collective sigh as the past twenty-four hours caught up to them. Velvet closed her eyes, nearly drifting off before her sore muscles and bones and everything tore her back to wakefulness. Completely drained, she let herself slump to the side, her head settling on Coco's lap.

"That was a crazy day," she mumbled, blinking drowsily.

"Tell me about it," Coco said. "Any other criminals you've been stalking that I should be worried about?"

"Nu-uh. I think I've met my limit with stopping just one bad guy," Velvet said. "I'm kind of a really sucky superhero."

Coco patted her head lightly. "The trying's what matters, honeybuns."

If _trying_ always led to feeling like her body was made of broken glass, then Velvet would rather never try again.

"Are you sure about the Cardin stuff?" Coco asked. "I'm still on the calling-every-authority-on-him camp. The jerk deserves to spend a few years in prison for the all the shit he pulled."

"He probably does," Velvet said. "I don't know, Coco. I just… I got to wear his skin there for a moment. I _was_ him. And… it didn't feel all that different than normal." She frowned. "I think Cardin just needed to… to do something important, you know? To _matter_ , all on his own. He just went about it in all the wrong ways."

"That doesn't excuse him being a massive asshole."

"Yeah, well. He promised he'll try to be better." Velvet shrugged. "I'll just have to make sure he keeps that promise. I'll even try to… help him, if he needs. I think that's the right thing to do."

"Alright. If you wanna make that commitment, I'm not gonna argue with you," Coco said. "Just try and keep me in the loop this time?"

Velvet shuddered, the words she'd thrown at Coco just hours earlier coming back to haunt her. She pushed herself to sit upright and trained her eyes on her own hands, too ashamed to even look at Coco anymore.

"C-Coco…" she muttered. "I'm r-really sorry about everything I said."

"Hey. I think we can forget about all of that, after what we just went through. I'd be happy to – I said some hurtful stuff, too," Coco said. "Besides, that wasn't really you, right? Just like it wasn't you that was wailing on Cardin before?"

She turned her head to look at the table behind them, where Anesidora lay unmoving. Velvet stared at for a moment, before looking back at Coco and shaking her head.

"That's not how that works. The words… Everything… They have to come from somewhere," Velvet said. "Anesidora's not evil, Coco. It didn't make me do anything I didn't already want to do. I just never had the courage to do any of those things… until it gave me the opportunity to not be myself, I guess."

Coco studied Velvet, a look of concern on her face like she wanted to understand, but simply couldn't figure out what Velvet was trying to say.

"I don't get it. I know it's hard for you with some stuff, but it's that way with everybody. And, Velvet – God, I'm about to get really sappy." Coco pinched her forehead, then shook her head and took Velvet's hand. "You don't give yourself enough credit about how intelligent you are. And I wish I was half as passionate about anything as you are about photography. You don't need a magic camera to help you do anything. _You_ can do anything, you just have to try. And you know that, I know you do! So what's stopping you?"

All of a sudden, Velvet felt herself shaking from head to toe, and for some reason, her eyes were burning.

"I guess I'm just really unhappy with who I am."

Coco's eyes widened with realization, and she pulled Velvet into a crushing hug.

Velvet buried her head on Coco's shoulder and cried, finally letting go.

* * *

"He's free right now. Just go right in."

Velvet gave the secretary a shy smile and opened the door of Mister Oobleck's office. Her mood brightened as she recognized the smell of piles upon piles of old newspapers, and even more when she met eyes with the man himself, sat behind his desk with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Velvet, my girl!" he all but shouted, getting up and nearly spilling his drink over his papers. "It's so good to see you again!"

He offered her a hand to shake, and Velvet took it gingerly. Oh God, she felt like she was taking her first job interview all over again!

"I-it's good to see you too, sir," she said. "Uhm… How have you been?"

"Me? I'm fine, just fine. I'm more interested in hearing about you! Come, take a seat."

He walked around his desk and pulled a chair back for her. Velvet sat down, smoothing her skirt nervously.

"I see you've gotten yourself a replacement camera," Oobleck said, sitting back down. "And it's the same model as your old one. Somehow, I am not surprised!"

Velvet looked down at Anesidora and ran a hand over its neck strap, her lips parting in a little smile. "You've got me, sir. I'm sentimental like that. And you did teach me that the magic is in the artist's hands, never the tool."

"Exactly." Oobleck nodded approvingly. "I must say, Velvet, it gladdens my heart to see you so jovial again. The last we talked, you were so downcast – understandably so - I really worried about you. But you recovered well?"

"Yes. I took some time to figure out some personal stuff, and now I…" Velvet bit her lip. "I'm still not all that well, sir, to be perfectly honest. But I'm much better, and I'll continue to get better. That's my number one goal right now."

"That's truly excellent. Your health is the most important thing, of course," Oobleck said. "I take it, then, that you're ready to start working here again? I believe the experience would do you good. Not to mention that your industrious work has been sorely missed in the workplace."

"Ah. Well, you see, sir…" Velvet's voice failed, her nerves getting to her for a moment. "I'm not coming back to work."

Mister Oobleck stared at her, so shocked by her answer, that she wouldn't have been surprised if he started writing a headline about it.

"You're not coming back to work?" he said. "Not yet, you mean?"

Velvet shook her head. "Not ever. I mean, err- At least not anytime soon," she said. "I actually came here to tell you just that, and that I'm very thankful for everything you've taught me and the experiences you've provided me. I loved working here, sir, I truly did."

"Oh, I'm… glad to hear that." Oobleck adjusted his glasses, squinting at her in puzzlement. "But then why are you leaving, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's… hard to explain, sir. And I hope you won't take this the wrong way," Velvet said. "I've never had a bad day of work in the _Forest Ink_ , and I would spend the rest of my life working here if I could. But that's just the problem. I feel like if I came back right now, I would never, ever leave. That wouldn't be so bad… But I wouldn't be very happy either."

"I see," Oobleck said. You don't want to be confined to one place, when there is a whole world waiting for you out there."

"That's exactly it, sir. I'm still going to be pursuing photography, but…" Velvet shrugged. "Who knows what else might happen."

Oobleck nodded. "I applaud your ambition, then, and hope that it leads you to good fortune. But pray tell, my girl…" He tilted his head curiously. "What do you plan to do now?"

Velvet grasped Anesidora and ran a finger along its surface, smiling as at first, she felt the slightest tingle of magic, and then the cool, familiar, and utterly normal sensation of metal against skin.

She had never felt more like herself.

**VELVET WILL RETURN**


	7. "I'm sure this mystery will be resolved within this phase"

Ozpin put the report down on his desk. He leaned his elbow on the arm of his chair, his hand covering his mouth as, for a minute, he became immersed in thought.

Sitting at the other end of the desk, Glynda watched him patiently, if not a bit surprised by his reaction. The discovery of a new powered individual was hardly a trivial thing, but these matters rarely gave the Director pause. He had seen too much in his lifetime already, after all.

"And this… mimicking ability," he spoke finally, his forehead furrowing in the slightest frown. "You are positive it's a manifestation of her Semblance?"

"Yes, Sir," Glynda said. "The energy she outputs during matches our usual readings. We may not know all the intricacies about Semblances and Auras, but I have no reason to believe she's a special case."

"Of course. I trust your judgement, Commander, as always." Ozpin was silent for a moment more, during which he opened the report again and gave it an extensive look, as if to make sure he had read it right the first time. "But the other ability. The matter replication. _That_ energy doesn't come from her."

"No. At least not directly," Glynda said. "It seems the source of that power lies within that camera she carries around." She paused, a thought springing to her mind. "If that thing is indeed a camera."

Ozpin nodded, the idea seemingly having come to him way before her – and she had been studying the girl for weeks before giving the report. Now Glynda started to understand why he was so interested.

"You're the only agent aware of the girl's power?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes, Sir. I conducted the mission on a need-to-know basis, per protocol," Glynda answered.

"So our only concern would be her roommate. Coco Adel, was it?" Ozpin said. "What do you make of her, Glynda? Is she friend, or foe?"

Glynda raised an eyebrow at him. Friend or foe? Whatever could the Director mean by that?

"I see no reason to distrust her. She can be temperamental, but she is fiercely protective of Scarlatina. They are very precious to each other, I've come to understand," Glynda said.

"Good. That could prove a sufficient mantle, for the time being," Ozpin said. Before she could ask him what he meant, he sat up and waved at the air, spirits rekindled. "And Scarlatina herself. She is of good character?"

Glynda crossed her arm. "You and I know better than to assume anyone's character." She paused. "But, yes, she appears to be just another young woman discovering her place in the world. She wouldn't hurt a fly, and she could do a lot more than that, with the powers she has been gifted."

"That's reassuring. Although, I do feel for her a bit. She cannot begin to suspect what…" Ozpin shook his head. "I'm getting lost in thought. How's the situation with Agent Daichi? You're still in charge of him, correct?"

"Yes. He's on assignment in Vacuo currently. Has been for nearly a year now." Glynda frowned, thrown by the sudden change in conversation. "Sir, forgive me - how is he relevant to the case?"

"He isn't at all," Ozpin answered simply. "Would you kindly pull Agent Daichi from his current assignment and send him my way? I would be ever so grateful."

Glynda could barely keep her exasperation in check. A year of delicate, dangerous work, gone swiftly down the drain, and she'd obviously not be getting an explanation why.

" _Gladly_ , Director," she said, getting up. "And Scarlatina?"

"Don't worry about her. I'll be taking care of the matter myself, Commander," Ozpin said.

"Oh, Lord," Glynda sighed. "The last time you said that, I ended up with a hyperactive fifteen-year-old under my care."

"And the world was better off because of it," Ozpin said, grabbing his coffee mug and taking a big sip. "Not to mention the unthawing effect she had on your heart."

Glynda rolled her eyes at him. Of course, he couldn't go one conversation without cracking a joke at her expense.

Although she did notice, as she closed the door and threw one last look back at him, that the fingers with which he held his mug were trembling, and that his eyes had returned to the report on his desk. She'd never seen him look so far away. So…

…haunted.

* * *

"Wait just a little. Sorry, this thing's really heavy," Cardin said. "You would think it being destroyed would make it easier to carry around, but – _oof_."

"I would offer to help," Coco said, blowing at her fingernails nonchalantly. "But I'm a mere damsel in distress. What is my strength compared to yours?"

"Please, I already apologized for that. It wasn't anything against you. It's just that Velvet doesn't have any other friends!" Cardin paused. "Sorry, that was mean. Forget I said that."

Coco glared at the back of his neck. How easy it would be to punch him there and knock him right then and there. He'd probably be crushed under the weight of the Centurion, too. But Velvet would be very mad if she did that, unfortunately.

"Alright. Got a good grip," Cardin said. He turned around, managing to drag the Centurion to the middle of the shed and drop it there. "There it is. Happy now?"

Coco crouched beside the armor, giving its head a nudge. The metal was even thicker than it looked from a distance. Not fashionable at all, and very conspicuous.

"Why'd you want to see it anyway?" Cardin asked. "It doesn't even work anymore – not that I'm bummed about that or anything…"

"My reasons are my reasons, jerkwad." Coco shook the armor a bit and clucked her tongue. "This doesn't help at all. Would you happen to have the schematics for this thing?"

"No. But I could probably get them for you," Cardin said.

Coco glared at him.

"In a totally legal manner, I swear!" he said, raising his hands indignantly. "I'm clean now, remember?"

"Sure. And you've already got rid of all your toys?" Coco said, getting up. " _All_ of them?"

"Yeah, I have. Beacon's got all of them now," Cardin said. "Except this one, obviously. I'm gonna have to bury it or something, 'cause there's no way Beacon's not gonna do some big investigation after they get an anonymous tip about a Centurion-class armor."

"Wow. How very smart of you." Coco stepped close to him, shoving a finger in his chest, and despite him being notably taller, Cardin couldn't help but swallow nervously. "Now you pay attention, Mr. Redemption. If I find out that you're keeping anything, or if you so much as _look_ wrong at anyone in this town, _especially_ Velvet, I will descend upon you a hell the likes of which you cannot even imagine. You won't be getting any hugs and moral support from me, assface, no, all you'll be getting is-"

Her speech was cut short by a loud buzzing. Coco raised a finger, mouthed for him to wait just a moment, and answered her phone, smiling warmly.

"Hi, Dew, babe! Sorry, I didn't see that you'd messaged me. No, no, it's my bad, don't brush it off like it's nothing… Oh? Chocolate cookies, just for me? I'll be there in time for tea, don't worry, I just gotta finish something first. Yup, a design. Okay, love you too! Smooches."

She put her phone down and immediately returned to glaring at him.

"Long story short," she said. "Behave, or you're dead meat."

Cardin nodded silently, and Coco started to leave.

"Wait!" Cardin yelled. "…Was that a real phone call, or were you just messing with me?"

Coco looked at him over her shoulder. "I don't mess with my food." She clapped her hands. "Ta-ta. And sleep with one eye open."

**COCO WILL RETURN**


End file.
